UOC Priest Reportedly Goes Missing After Removal From Military Training Ground

KYIV — As reported by UOJ-Ukraine, the family of Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) priest Fr. Andrei Denysenko is seeking answers after losing contact with him following his reported removal from a military training ground by officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), according to statements released by Archpriest Nikita Chekman.

According to the priest's wife, Fr. Andrei was detained by patrol police at the Bykivnia checkpoint on June 25 and taken to the Dniprovskyi District Territorial Recruitment Center and Social Support. He was subsequently assigned to the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, where he underwent military training. The family's last direct communication with him came on July 26, before his unit reportedly departed for a training ground.

Days later, one of Fr. Andrei's fellow servicemen informed his wife that SBU officers had arrived at the training ground, administered a polygraph examination, and then removed the priest from the unit. According to the account, the officers said they had additional questions for him and took him away along with his personal belongings. Since then, relatives say they have received no official information regarding his location or condition.

Archpriest Chekman said neither the family nor legal representatives have been informed of the grounds for the priest's reported detention or his procedural status. Attorneys representing the family have begun filing formal requests, petitions, and other legal documents with the appropriate authorities in an effort to determine Fr. Andrei's whereabouts, establish the legal basis for any detention, and confirm that his constitutional rights are being observed.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a video showed the abduction of a UOC priest in Lutsk.