In the Khmelnytsky region, TCC officers detained a UOC priest and cut him off from communications.

Another clergyman of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been detained in the Khmelnytskyi region. On January 28, 2026, representatives of the Territorial Recruitment Center stopped Archpriest Maksym Moskalchuk, rector of the Holy Protection Church in the village of Redvintsi, on his way to work.

According to the Khmelnytskyi Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the priest's mobile phone was forcibly confiscated and he was taken to the Khmelnytskyi City TRC against his will. There is currently no contact with Father Maksym, raising serious concerns for his safety and procedural rights.

This incident continues a disturbing trend of extrajudicial detentions and forced mobilization of clergy of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Such actions, accompanied by the deprivation of communication and carried out without providing legal grounds, indicate a systematic violation of individual rights and the principle of religious freedom.

Human rights organizations note that the practice of forcibly detaining clergy creates a climate of fear and impunity, undermining the foundations of the rule of law. Of particular concern is the lack of official government response to numerous reports of such incidents, which effectively legitimizes arbitrary actions against religious minorities.