> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://uoj.news/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Reports Claim UOC Priest Detained by Military Recruitment Officials in Kirovohrad Region
- URL: https://uoj.news/news/reports-claim-uoc-priest-detained-by-military-recruitment-officials-in-kirovohrad-region/
- Published: 2026-07-31T16:41:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-25T16:07:10.000Z
- Description: Parishioners say Archpriest Maksym Tsarenko was taken while receiving medical treatment and has been unreachable since.
- Author: Aaron Hickman
- Tags: #Category: News, forced mobilization, Abducted UOC Clergy, War in Ukraine, Persecution of Christians, Persecution of the Church, UOC

**LUPOLOVO, UKRAINE —** In comments [made to UOJ-Ukraine](https://spzh.eu/en/news/94686-in-kirovohrad-region-tcc-officers-abducted-a-uoc-priest), parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) say military recruitment officials detained the rector of a parish in the village of Lupolovo, leaving his current whereabouts unknown.

According to parishioners, Archpriest Maksym Tsarenko was taken by officers from Ukraine's Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) near a local hospital, where he had reportedly been undergoing medical treatment. They said the priest briefly informed others that he had been taken before all contact with him was lost.

[![](https://uoj.news/content/images/2026/07/reports-claim-uoc-priest-detained-by-military-recruitment-officials-in-kirovohrad-region-image-771afa0ccef1.jpg)On this topicVideo Shows Abduction of UOC Priest in Lutsk](https://uoj.news/news/video-shows-abduction-of-uoc-priest-in-lutsk/)

Members of the parish have appealed for assistance, stating that Fr. Maksym suffers from serious health problems and was receiving treatment at the time of the reported detention. As of the latest reports, parishioners say they have received no information regarding his condition or location.

"Today, near the hospital, the TRC abducted our priest," comments received by UOJ-Ukraine state. "The rector in the village of Lupolovo, Kirovohrad region, Tsarenko Maksym Hryhoryevych. Please help save him! He is very ill and was receiving treatment. He wrote that he had been taken away, and now he cannot be reached."

Previously, the UOJ [reported](https://uoj.news/news/abp-sylvester-calls-for-equal-rights-in-clergy-mobilization-debate/) that Abp. Sylvester of Bilogorodsky has published a detailed reflection on the mobilization of clergy under martial law, addressing both legal and canonical dimensions of the issue.