TRC reps detain Sumy Eparchy cleric

Archpriest Bohdan Huliak. Photo: the press service of the Sumy Eparchy

On April 16, 2026, employees of the Okhtyrka district TRC and SP mobilized Archpriest Bohdan Huliak and forcibly brought him to the military commissariat directly during a pastoral trip, reported the press service of the Sumy Eparchy.

According to information from the priest's wife, Matushka Ioanna, the incident occurred in the morning in the city of Trostyanets. Despite the fact that the rector of the Transfiguration Church of the village of Soldatskoye provided confirmation of his sacred rank, he was deprived of communication and taken away in an unknown direction. Only late in the evening, in response to an official statement about a missing person, law enforcement informed the family that the cleric had already been enlisted in the army.

Relatives and parishioners express deep concern about the condition of 53-year-old Father Bogdan, who has serious illnesses and needs constant medical supervision. Moreover, the possible coercion of the clergyman to perform duties related to bearing arms grossly contradicts the canons of the Orthodox Church and the religious convictions of the mobilized person.

The Sumy Eparchy called on the authorities for an impartial investigation of the circumstances of the case and compliance with Ukraine's legislation on freedom of conscience. The press service of the diocesan administration emphasized the need to respect human rights and asked believers for fervent prayers for Archpriest Bogdan.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that in Kamianets-Podilskyi, TRC abducted the rector of the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God.

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