TRC claims detained father-of-three deacon of UOC volunteers to serve

Deacon Andriy Vernyi. Photo: 'Pershyi Kozatskyi'

In Lutsk, TRC employees mobilized UOC deacon Andriy Vernyi. Although the clergyman is raising three children and has a legal right to a deferment, the military commissariat presented the situation as a personal choice of the cleric, reports the VSN.

The Volyn TRC insists that the deacon allegedly expressed a desire to fight himself. "Since he was subject to conscription and did not exercise his right to a deferment, he was invited to come to the TRC to clarify his data, to which he voluntarily agreed," the agency stated.

According to TRC representatives, the procedure went without conflict. "During his stay at the TRC, the citizen calmly completed all the necessary procedures and volunteered to serve in the unmanned systems battalion," the military claimed. The TRC separately emphasized that the father of many children was sent to the unit "exclusively at his own request."

As a reminder, on June 13, 2026, TRC representatives stopped the deacon's vehicle and claimed that his deferment had allegedly expired. According to relatives, the military made offensive remarks directed at the clergyman and his mother, humiliating them for their affiliation with the UOC and calling them "waiters" [those waiting for Russia].

As the UOJ reported, the Volyn TRC commented on the detention of the rector in Osmyhovychi.

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