Detained UOC Priest Released After Medical Review

Archpriest Oleksandr has been released from the TRC. Photo: Rivne Eparchy Press Service

RIVNE, Ukraine — Archpriest Oleksandr Zhuk, a Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) priest detained by the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) on June 11, has been released and allowed to return home, according to a June 12 statement from the Rivne Eparchy press service.

Fr. Oleksandr, rector of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva in the village of Viliia, was taken to a military medical commission immediately after his detention, where he underwent an overnight examination. The TRC ultimately determined there were no grounds for his mobilization.

The eparchy expressed gratitude for the public support and prayer offered during the ordeal. 

“We believe that it was precisely prayer, our united stand for the truth, and public attention that became key support in this situation,” the statement read.

The incident had drawn significant concern from UOC officials, who previously raised alarms over what they believe is a pattern of discriminatory targeting of clergy for conscription.

Previously, UOJ reported that the abbot of the renowned Holy Spirit Skete of Pochaiv in Kremenets was also detained by local military authorities.

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