Lypcha residents block road, demand release of UOC priest detained by TRC

Road blockade in the village of Lypcha. Photo: open sources

On the evening of May 4, 2026, residents of the Zakarpattia village of Lypcha blocked a highway, demanding the release of Archpriest Serhiy Liakh of the Holy Spirit Church, whom they say was taken by territorial recruitment center (TRC) officers. Videos from the scene were shared on local social media. The footage shows around a hundred people standing on a pedestrian crossing, while numerous vehicles were backed up in a traffic jam.

According to posts in local community groups, parishioners say the priest is being held at a TCC facility outside the city of Khust and are asking for prayers for his release.

It remains unclear how the situation has developed as of now.

Earlier, UOJ reported that in Kyiv, TRC officers detained an archimandrite of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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