People in Balaclavas Abduct UOC Priest in Lutsk (VIDEO)

A video of the violent abduction of a UOC priest by people in balaclavas has spread online. The authors of the footage claim that the video shows the forcible mobilization of a clergyman, reports Pershyi Kozatskyi.

The footage shows a half-dressed man, who is shouting and trying to break free, being pushed into a bus by masked individuals. A woman is standing nearby, desperately trying to prevent the abduction — apparently his matushka. According to the source, the video shows Protoierей Ioan Kuzminsky, rector of the UOC Church of St. John the Merciful in the village of Liubche. Journalists from Pershyi Kozatskyi claim this is the first documented case of the forcible mobilization of a UOC priest caught on video. The abduction took place near the Eurospar store at 13 Shevchenko Street.

As the UOJ previously reported, cases of mobilization of UOC clergy have repeatedly caused public outcry: the Chancellor of the UOC described such practices as a deliberate desecration of holy orders, while individual hierarchs demanded that the TCC cease the forced conscription of clergy. Believers and human rights advocates point out that such incidents are occurring against the backdrop of ongoing pressure on the UOC across various regions of Ukraine.