Detained in Cassock: In Ukraine, Military Enlistment Office Tries to Send Priest to Frontline

In the Kharkiv region, TCC personnel detained a monastery deputy from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and attempted to send him to a military unit, reports NewsBox.  

In the Kharkiv region, employees of the Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC) detained 44-year-old Archimandrite Bohdan, a deputy of a men's monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, according to local media. The incident occurred in the village of Babai, where a monastery was founded in April 2024.

The archimandrite was detained in his cassock, sent to a military medical commission, and then attempts were made to transfer him to a military unit in Dnipro. However, all units refused to accept the clergyman. Afterwards, he was returned to the TCC where he is reportedly being held without food or access to legal representation.

Local residents have expressed outrage over the incident and are demanding explanations from the authorities. There have been no official comments on the incident yet.