UKRAINE: Enrolment of two priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the army
HRWF (30.08.2025) – On 29 August 2025, in the village of Pyriatyn, Dubno district, Rivne region, officers of the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) took away Archpriest Volodymyr Hlavatsky directly from the cemetery, where he had just buried a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yurii Datsiuk.
Archpriest Volodymyr Hlavatsky was given a summons by the TRC right at the grave, still in his vestments. The military medical commission declared him in good health and fit to serve in the army. Now Father Volodymyr is already at the training ground. The parish is left without a priest.
On 25 August 2025, the last day of the cross procession from Kamianets-Podilskyi to Pochaiv, TRC officers detained Archpriest Bohdan Matviiv, a father of five children. The eldest one is already fighting at the front.
«I am the wife of a UOC priest who was detained by the TRC when he was taking sick people to the Lavra. Now he is being taken in the direction of Lutsk», journalists quoted the priest’s wife.
According to the latest data, the priest is now at the Rivne military training center.
The still unresolved status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
On 6 June 2025, the DESS issued an order approving the list of religious organizations recognized as critically important to society during martial law. This list includes legal entities—religious organizations—that passed a screening process based on criteria adopted by the State Judicial Council on 5 February 2025 (Resolution No. H-21/11), and registered by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on 19 February 2025 (No. 263/43669). These criteria came into force on 20 March 2025, after publication in the Official Bulletin.
The list allows religious organizations to reserve their staff, including clergy, from military mobilization.
Concerning the UOC/MP, an investigation is still underway to determine whether it is still affiliated, or not, with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Due to this continuing investigation, UOC/MP institutions are currently not listed in the “List of Critically Important Institutions” and therefore cannot legally request reservations for their clergy.
Formally, this explains why Archpriests Volodymyr Hlavatsky and Bohdan Matviiv were not granted deferment.
However, this raises a broader issue about the presumption of innocence: Is it legal or fair to apply restrictive measures before an official conclusion has been reached?
Freedom of conscience—Even during wartime
Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine guarantees every citizen freedom of religion. International humanitarian law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, requires that even during states of emergency, core human rights standards are preserved; and freedom of religion is one of them.
The mobilization of a priest—especially amid legal ambiguity regarding the status of his religious organization—may be perceived as a violation of state neutrality in religious matters. It could also be seen as a form of implicit pressure on a religious community already facing legal and reputational challenges within the country.
Undoubtedly, Ukraine is going through one of the most difficult chapters in its history. National defense is a duty for every citizen. However, during wartime, it is especially important not to destroy the very principles the war is being fought over to protect them. Among these principles is the respect for human dignity, belief and freedom of conscience.
The conscription of clergy—especially those whose denominational affiliation is under legal scrutiny—demands a balanced approach, clear legal norms, and ongoing dialogue between the state and religious organizations.
Conscientious objection in wartimes: still no decision of the Constitutional Court
In the case of the Adventist objector Dmytro Zelinskyi, the Ukrainian Constitutional Court consulted the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe about the conscientious objection issue in wartimes. On 18 March 2025, the Venice Commission published its opinion but it was not followed by a ruling of the Constitutional Court.
On 12 May 2025, Human Rights Without Frontiers (Brussels) wrote, in English and Ukrainian, to Petryshyn Oleksandr Volodymyrovych, the Acting Head of the Constitutional Court, to know when it would publicize its own decision. There was no reply and as of 1 September 2025, there has not been any official ruling.
Archpriest Bohdan Matviiv. Photo: Dialog.tut
Photo 1:Archpriest Volodymyr Hlavatsky at the funeral of a serviceman. Photo: Priest’s Facebook
