TRC abducts priest in Korosten after he fled frontline Kherson region

Archpriest Pavlo Hirchenko was abducted by TRC officers. Photo: Pershyi Kozatskyi

TRC officers in the city of Korosten, Zhytomyr region, abducted Ukrainian Orthodox Church priest Archpriest Pavlo Hirchenko, who had fled the war in the frontline Kherson region, Pershyi Kozatskyi reports.

Early on the morning of Sunday, September 6, 2026, the 56-year-old archpriest was riding his bicycle to the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah. At around 7:00 a.m., military personnel stopped him on the road near the parish. TRC officers had reportedly hidden their vehicle in roadside greenery in advance and were waiting for him to appear.

The TRC officers ignored the priest’s clerical status. They took away his mobile phone, cutting Father Pavlo off from communication, then forced him into a vehicle and drove him to Zhytomyr for a military medical examination.

Archpriest Pavlo’s family had previously left the combat zone in the Kherson region because of constant shelling and the threat of occupation. The displaced family lost their home and all their property in the frontline region. His family and lawyer did not learn Father Pavlo’s whereabouts until that evening. TRC officials allowed his wife, Valentyna, to see him only on the third day after his abduction.

In Zhytomyr, TRC officers pressured the priest and tried to force him to sign documents related to the medical examination. Archpriest Pavlo, however, refused to sign any of the forms. The military then sent him back to Korosten, to a holding facility for new recruits.

On September 8, Valentyna and parishioners went to the TRC building. They brought documents confirming his clerical status and his status as an internally displaced person. According to the report, TRC officers spoke to her extremely rudely, expressed hostility, and threw the documents in her face. The family later sent the papers by registered mail.

The family is now awaiting assistance from lawyers and officials willing to intervene. Parishioners are asking Orthodox Christians for prayers.

Earlier, UOJ reported that TRC officers in Korosten abducted the rector of a UOC church dedicated to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

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