Odesa Regional AUCC says mobilized priest of Russian church refused to become a chaplain

The Odesa Regional Territorial Center for Manning and Social Support responded to the statement of the Odesa Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) about the mobilization and detention for four days of the rector of the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Troyanove.

According to the press service of the regional military and civilian center, on June 10, during joint warning measures at the checkpoint, they checked Oleksandr Moskovchuk's military registration documents and found that he was not registered with the military.

"In full compliance with the current legislation, the citizen was offered to go to the TCC and JV to clarify his data, to which he voluntarily agreed. After the data was clarified, the citizen passed a military medical commission (MMC), which found him fit for military service. No medical contraindications that would make it impossible to serve were found. Given that the person is a clergyman, and with respect for his rank, he was offered the opportunity to serve as a military chaplain in one of the units. After the citizen refused this offer, he, like any other citizen of Ukraine who is recognized as fit for service, is currently at the assembly point for further decision-making," the TCC said.

The territorial recruitment center said that the presence of a clergy rank is not a ground for an automatic deferral from the draft. According to the Law of Ukraine "On Mobilization Preparation and Mobilization," clergymen can be reserved for their religious organization if it is included in the list of critical institutions. At the time of the inspection, there were no documents confirming that the citizen had a deferral or official reservation, which is also confirmed by the data of AICS Oberih.

Кирило Бойко