TRC abducts Vinnytsia Eparchy priest
TRC officers forcibly took the UOC cleric to a training center at midnight and cut off his contact with his family.
In Vinnytsia, employees of the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) detained the legal counsel of the diocesan administration, Archpriest Vitaliy Karpus, immediately after a medical commission and transported him to a training camp at midnight. This was reported by the Vinnytsia Diocese on Facebook.
On June 25, 2026, the clergyman came to the military commissariat in response to a summons in order to update his personal data. He had already visited the TRC the day before, complying with all legal requirements. However, after undergoing the military medical commission, Father Vitaliy was not allowed to go home.
Around midnight, the cleric was forcibly sent to a training center in the Haisyn district for further processing into military service. There is currently no contact with the priest, as his mobile phone was confiscated. The diocese stated that the commission ignored the archpriest's complaints about serious health problems.
The Vinnytsia Diocese recalled that the canons of the Church, including the 83rd Apostolic Canon and the 7th Canon of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, explicitly prohibit priests from performing military service. Ministry at the altar and military activity are incompatible. The faithful were called to pray for the strengthening of Father Vitaliy, and officials were urged to release the cleric and respect his legal rights.
As the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ) previously reported, TRC employees in Vinnytsia detained the secretary of Metropolitan Varsonofiy.
