In Nikopol, TRC abducts rector of Trinity Church directly from the temple

Archpriest Oleksandr Chernyadyev during the Divine Liturgy. Photo: Holy Trinity Church Facebook page

On 5 February 2026, in Nikopol, officers of the TRC detained the rector of the Holy Trinity Church of the Kryvyi Rih Eparchy of the UOC, Archpriest Oleksandr Cherniadyev. This was reported by representatives of the parish community and sources close to the parish.

The priest was detained right on the church premises. According to eyewitnesses, he was in his cassock and wearing his cross when TRC representatives approached him.

After the detention, Archpriest Oleksandr was taken to the city of Dnipro. There have been no official comments so far regarding the reasons or what actions will follow with respect to the clergyman.

The community notes that the cases of abducting UOC clergy by the TRC have happened before – but the detention of a priest right in a church has caused particular outrage among parishioners.

The faithful are asking for prayers for their rector and for the community, now left without its priest.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that a monk of the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC, abducted by the TRC, was sent to a military unit.

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