Family Says Kyiv Priest Missing After TRC Detention
Two days after his detention in Kyiv, Archpriest Yaroslav Kruhlenko’s family says his whereabouts remain unknown.
KYIV — As reported by UOJ-Ukraine, on February 24, 2026, at approximately 5:00 p.m., officers of the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) detained Archpriest Yaroslav Kruhlenko, rector of the Alexander Nevsky Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), according to his wife. She reported that the clergyman was stopped on Polyarnaya Street near a Leroy Merlin store and taken to the TRC office at 26 Yordanska Street, where he was held without the ability to contact his family.
Later that evening, Archpriest Yaroslav was transported to the Darnytsia district of Kyiv. There was no communication with him until around midnight, when he was able to briefly call his wife and say that he was expected to be sent overnight to Dnipro. Since that call, his family has received no further information about his whereabouts or condition.
On February 26, relatives reported that no contact has been established with the priest since his detention. Sources close to the family stated that they have not been informed of his location and remain unaware of his status. Concern continues to grow over the clergyman’s safety.
Previously, the UOJ reported that conflict broke out after the OCU forcibly entered a UOC church in Kuzmin.