UOC Priest Reportedly Detained by TRC Officers in Zhytomyr Region
Archpriest Pavlo Hirchenko, a displaced priest from the frontline Kherson region, was reportedly taken to Zhytomyr for a military medical examination before being returned to a holding facility in Korosten.
KOROSTEN, UKRAINE — Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) officers in Korosten, Zhytomyr region, reportedly detained Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) Archpriest Pavlo Hirchenko, who had fled the war in the Kherson region, according to First Cossack.
The 56-year-old priest was riding his bicycle to Sunday Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah on the morning of September 6, 2026, when military personnel stopped him near the parish at approximately 7 a.m. According to the report, TRC officers had concealed their vehicle along the roadside and were waiting for the priest.
The officers reportedly took Fr. Pavlo’s mobile phone and forced him into a vehicle before transporting him to Zhytomyr for a military medical examination.
The priest’s family had previously fled the combat zone in Kherson amid shelling and the threat of occupation, losing their home and property. His family and lawyer reportedly did not learn his whereabouts until that evening, while his wife, Valentyna, was permitted to see him only on the third day.
According to the report, TRC officers in Zhytomyr pressured the priest to sign documents related to his medical examination. Fr. Pavlo refused to sign the forms, after which he was returned to Korosten and placed in a holding facility for new recruits.
On September 8, Valentyna and parishioners visited the TRC office, bringing documents confirming the priest’s clerical status and his status as an internally displaced person. The report alleges that officials responded rudely and hostilely and threw the documents at Valentyna. The family subsequently sent the documents by registered mail.
Fr. Pavlo’s family is awaiting assistance from lawyers and officials willing to intervene. Parishioners have appealed to Orthodox Christians for prayers for the priest and his family.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Archpriest Mykhailo Bilokin, rector of the Church of the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb in Radisne, was detained by TRC officers on September 6 while traveling to a church service.