In Vilkhovets, TRC abducts priest on eve of Transfiguration

Archpriest Volodymyr Hordiychuk. Photo: UOJ

A scandalous abduction of a UOC priest took place in the village of Vilkhovets, Kamianets-Podilskyi district, Khmelnytskyi region. Archpriest Volodymyr Hordiychuk, rector of the UOC Church of St. Paraskeva, disappeared after the All-Night Vigil on the eve of the Transfiguration of the Lord on August 18, 2026.

According to parishioners, Fr. Volodymyr stayed after the service to clean the church until 10:00 p.m. and then headed home. However, the following day, the priest did not appear at the church, and the Liturgy could not be celebrated. Since Fr. Volodymyr’s family was away at the time, no one knew where he had gone. Efforts to locate him proved unsuccessful, and his phone was switched off.

It was only during the day on August 19 that information emerged that the priest had been mobilized. Fr. Volodymyr managed to make a brief call to his son, saying that he was in handcuffs and that TRC officers were taking him for a military medical examination. After that, his phone again became unreachable. He did not have time to say where he was being taken or provide any details of his detention.

According to his relatives, Fr. Volodymyr has serious health problems; however, they fear these will be ignored at the medical commission. The family and parishioners are asking for prayers for the clergyman.

The UOJ previously reported that the TRC detained the rector of a UOC community in the village of Khvorostiv.

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