TRC employee hands summons to UGCC cleric, grabbing him by his throat

Man in military uniform choking UGCC cleric. Photo: screenshot from the video on the Politika Strany Telegram channel

In the Stryi district of the Lviv region, a TRC (Territorial Recruitment Center) worker served a summons to a UGCC priest due to personal animosity towards the cleric, who referred to his deceased son as a "servant of God" instead of using the appropriate military title. The video of the summons being delivered to the Uniate priest was published by the Strana news outlet.

In the footage, the TRC employee can be heard threatening the cleric, stating he would "load him up like a dog" and take his son and son-in-law to the front lines if he fails to appear at the military commissariat.

"If I could, I would grab you by the throat and strangle you," shouts the military personnel at the cleric, grabbing him by the throat and accusing him of "shaming his son" during the funeral.

"On Friday, I'll come with the guys and take you like a bag of potatoes they bring to you. You'll be in Yavoriv, they'll bring you everything. Don't count on anything here, don't ask anyone, they know in the office. I said we have a wounded chaplain who was at war for 3 years. You've had enough. If you don't turn up, I'll take your son, I'll take your son-in-law, and you stay here, enjoy yourself. I won't forgive you for this. Get lost," says the man in military uniform.

The video of the attack on the UGCC cleric has sparked outrage on social media. The head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maxym Kozytsky, commented on the footage, calling on the leadership of TRC to verify whether the men in uniform are indeed their employees.

"The situation requires a thorough investigation because the internet has only a fragment of the video and a conversation taken out of context," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

After Kozytsky's comments, the Lviv Regional TRC stated that the man choking the UGCC cleric has no affiliation with their department. However, they noted that the actions of the actual TCC employees standing next to the man were lawful.

As previously reported by the UOJ, a priest of the UOC from Lutsk with many children received a summons from the TRC.

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