Russian military interrogated practically all priests who remained at their parishes on the temporarily occupied left bank of the Kherson Region.
This was reported by Bishop Borys, the hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Kherson and Kakhovka, in an interview with the Academy of Academic Religious Studies, according to the Spiritual Front of Ukraine.
He informed that Russian military personnel visited all priests, asked various questions, and checked correspondence. One of the priests in Lazurne did not want to leave because he was not bothered due to the presence of the Moscow Patriarchate church in the settlement. Another clergyman, a monk from Rybalske, stayed at his parish because he had nothing to lose except his ministry.
The case of Father Stepan Podolchak, a priest of the OCU, is especially tragic. The Russians tortured Father Stepan in occupied Kalanchak. Bishop Borys shared that, being humble and trusting, Father Stepan refused to leave his parish. He had served there for a quarter of a century and did not expect that his service to God would lead to violence from the occupiers.
Stepan Podolchak was the rector of the Parish of All Saints of the Ukrainian Land and conducted services in Ukrainian, holding a patriotic position. Because of this, the Russians repeatedly summoned him for questioning by the FSB. On February 13 of this year, Podolchak was taken from his own home by the Russian military. They demanded that he join the Moscow Patriarchate, but he refused.