Masked men abduct UOC priest in Lutsk (VIDEO)

Abduction of a UOC priest in Lutsk. Photo: Pershyi Kozatskyi

A video showing the violent abduction of a Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) priest by masked men has circulated online. According to the video's authors, it features the forcible mobilization of the clergyman, reports Pershyi Kozatskyi.

The footage shows a partially clothed man shouting and struggling to break free as masked men force him into a bus. A woman, apparently the priest's wife, is seen trying unsuccessfully to stop them.

According to the source, the man in the video is Archpriest Ioann Kuzminsky, rector of the St. John the Merciful Church of the UOC in the village of Liubche, Volyn Eparchy. The incident took place outside the Eurospar supermarket at 13 Shevchenko Street in Lutsk.

Journalists say this is the first documented case of the forcible mobilization of a UOC priest captured on video. 

As the UOJ previously reported, previous cases involving the mobilization of UOC clergy have repeatedly sparked public controversy. The UOC's Chancellor has described the practice as a deliberate desecration of the sacred priesthood, while several bishops have called on Ukraine's Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers to stop the forced conscription of clergy. Believers and human rights advocates say such incidents are occurring amid continued pressure on the UOC across different regions of Ukraine.

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