TRC gives its version of conflict with Metropolitan Volodymyr
The Volyn TRC denies beating UOC clergy at the checkpoint and says tear gas was used lawfully.
The Volyn Regional TRC has presented its version of the high-profile conflict with Metropolitan Volodymyr and clergymen of the Volodymyr-Volynskyi Eparchy of the UOC, which occurred on May 7, 2026, at a mobile checkpoint in the village of Derno, Lutsk district. This was reported by Zaxid.net, citing Volyn TRC press secretary Uliana Kravchuk.
According to the TRC’s version, the driver of the car presented documents confirming his deferment from mobilization. However, Metropolitan Volodymyr and Deacon Dymytriy Manetskyi allegedly refused to show military registration documents. According to Kravchuk, Archpriest Oleksandr Kobenko began “offering verbal and physical resistance,” after which officers used tear gas.
Under the TRC’s version, the clergymen eventually provided their documents in the service vehicle. After verification, it turned out that one of them had been removed from military registration, while the other had the right to a deferment. After that, they were released. Kravchuk insists that reports of beatings or bodily injuries inflicted by servicemen or police were not confirmed.
The Volodymyr-Volynskyi Eparchy of the UOC earlier reported different circumstances of the conflict, saying that TRC officers began using force without checking documents. During the incident, the metropolitan suffered a heart attack, while Archpriest Kobenko developed an allergic reaction to the gas.
As the UOJ reported, TRC officers in Chernivtsi tried to abduct a UOC bishop on his way to a church service. Cases of UOC clergy being detained by TCC officers have been recorded in Ukraine since 2024.
