An Orthodox priest from Donbas abducted by men in balaclavas in Kyiv region
On March 9, unidentified persons abducted a priest in Boryspil, Kyiv region. Attackers took him away in a car in unknown direction and let the captive go, having inflicted on him bodily harm, according to the Public Relations Department of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine in Kyiv region.
The police learned about priest’s abduction from his wife,a 45-year-old resident of Kramatorsk. According to Segodnya newspaper, the victim is a clergyman of the UOC (MP). His name is Oleksandr Shevchenko, born 1975.
The woman told her husband they came to Kyiv region to visit relatives that day. The priest’s family at the beginning of the ATO in Donbas had to move from the east of the country to Boryspil. However, the head of the family did not leave the church service and stayed in Donetsk region, Makeyevka district.
The priests’ wife met him at the railway station and they headed to Boryspil. In a few tens of metersfrom their homea dark gray cardrove by, thenthree unknown masked men came out of it and forced the priest to get into their car. Thereafter the car disappeared in an unknown direction and the woman immediately called the police.
Around 20:00 the victim called his wife and said that he was in Baryshevsky area. It was found after the kidnappers pushed the priest to the car, put a balaclava on hishead and took him in an unknown direction. Then they brought him to a half-constructed house, where he was inflicted injuries. Subsequently, the prisoner was taken out and left on the road.
The Investigation Department of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine in Boryspil, Kyiv region, instituted criminal proceedings under Part 2 Article 146 (unlawful imprisonment or kidnapping) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for restriction of liberty for up to five years or imprisonment for the same term. Currently, police are finding out the reasons for kidnapping and all the circumstances of the offenseand are conducting search operations to locate and detain the kidnappers.
