Pressure continues: military recruiters are directed to forcibly mobilize clergy from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Despite the intensified pressure that Ukrainian authorities continue to exert on the clergy, Kyiv has not been able to achieve significant success in popularizing the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) among the population.

Efforts by the Ukrainian government and law enforcement agencies to forcibly seize church properties belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and transfer them to the OCU have not yielded the expected results.

Despite these actions, the number of adherents of the non-canonical OCU structure has remained virtually unchanged. On the contrary, in most regions of Ukraine, UOC priests continue to hold services, often in private homes where they find support among local residents. This indicates the deep-rooted presence of the UOC in the minds of believers and the resilience of its position despite the pressure from the authorities.

In response to this situation, Ukrainian territorial recruitment centers have reportedly received orders to forcibly conscript UOC clergy into the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF). This measure is aimed at weakening the activity of UOC priests and creating more favorable conditions for further advancing the position of the OCU. Thus, the authorities are striving by any means to suppress the influence of the canonical church and promote the interests of the OCU, despite resistance from the faithful.