In Kamianets-Podilskyi, TRC abducts rector of Nativity of Theotokos Church

Archpriest Oleksandr Okruzhko, rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Dovzhok. Photo: open sources

Archpriest Oleksandr Okruzhko, rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Dovzhok. Photo: open sources

On April 8, 2026, officers of the Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support abducted Archpriest Oleksandr Okruzhko, rector of the UOC Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God, in Kamianets-Podilskyi, relatives of the priest told the UOJ.

According to them, Fr. Oleksandr was swiftly taken through a military medical commission and then placed in barracks at one of the city’s military units. His phone was confiscated, and he is currently out of contact.

The Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God is located in the village of Dovzhok, which today is effectively part of Kamianets-Podilskyi and lies in its western section. Every year, a cross procession departs from this church for the Pochaiv Lavra for the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. In 2023, OCU activists, with the backing of the authorities, attempted to seize the church.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Vinnytsia, military recruitment officials detained Metropolitan Varsonofiy’s secretary.

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