Media report case of forcibly mobilized UOC deacon, father of many children

Deacon Andriy Virnyi. Photo: Pershyi Kozatskyi

Media outlets have reported the story of the forced mobilization of Andriy Virnyi, a deacon and father of several children serving at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s Church of the Three Holy Hierarchs in Lutsk. According to information published by the Pershyi Kozatskyi Telegram channel, the clergyman was insulted, while officials allegedly attempted to falsify documents in blatant violation of the law.

The deacon is reportedly a father of several children and is therefore entitled to a deferment from mobilization. According to his relatives, officers of the Territorial Recruitment Center, or TRC, stopped his car on June 11, 2026. During the encounter, the deacon was insulted and accused over his service in the Church.

“They began insulting the deacon, calling him a ‘waiter for Russia,’ a Moskal, and a Moscow priest – even though four of his own brothers are serving in the military,” the report stated.

Two days later, TRC officers stopped Andriy Virnyi’s car again and told him that he was required to undergo a military medical examination.

“TRC officer Lieutenant Colonel Tonkorozhenko said he could not issue the deacon with a summons and instead drove the clergyman to the medical examination,” Pershyi Kozatskyi reported.

According to the clergyman’s relatives, he was told that the procedure would take about half an hour and that he would then be allowed to return to his car. However, after undergoing the examination, the deacon was not released.

It later emerged that TRC personnel had allegedly forged his signature on medical documents.

According to the deacon’s relatives, appeals by lawyers and the police to the TRC failed to resolve the situation, and the clergyman was transferred to another location.

Fr. Andriy Virnyi was subsequently taken to a military training ground, where he repeatedly stated that he was legally entitled to a deferment because he was a father of several children. Following the intervention of lawyers, relatives, and concerned military personnel, the clergyman was released and returned home.

The defense maintains that the deacon was subjected to pressure and that attempts were made to conceal the circumstances of his detention. TRC representatives, meanwhile, previously told journalists that the clergyman had allegedly volunteered for military service.

After returning home, Deacon Andriy Virnyi resumed his ministry at the church.

As the UOJ reported, the Volodymyr-Volynskyi Eparchy previously disclosed the number of its clergy who had been mobilized or killed.

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