UOC Priest Released After Faithful Raise Bail in Less Than a Day

Archpriest Vitaliy Agafonov. Photo: Telegram channel of Archpriest Nikita Chekman

NIKOPOL, UKRAINE — Archpriest Vitaliy Agafonov, a cleric of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Nikopol in the Kryvyi Rih Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), has been released from custody after bail was paid with funds raised by believers.

On Friday, the UOJ reported that Fr. Vitaliy was detained after leaving the military unit to which he had been assigned following mobilization. Drafted last autumn into the Armed Forces of Ukraine and appointed as a rifleman-sniper, the priest said he could not participate in combat due to Church canons forbidding clergy from bearing arms. After his detention, he was placed in custody on charges of desertion.

The priest’s release was announced by UOC lawyer Archpriest Nikita Chekman, who shared a video message from Fr. Vitaliy thanking those who contributed to the fundraising effort. In the message, the cleric confirmed that he had been freed and offered blessings to those who supported him.

“May the merciful Lord preserve you and your loved ones. Thank God for you all!” he said.

A court had previously set bail at 266,240 hryvnias. According to reports, the required amount was collected by supporters in less than a day.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a court had released UOC hierarch Metr. Arseniy to house arrest.

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