Fr. Ivan Levitsky and Fr. Bohdan Geleta, both Redemptorist priests, were seized in November 2022 from the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Berdiansk in Ukraine鱿鱼视频app Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Ultimately, 鈥渢he 鱿鱼视频apps don鈥檛 explain what they鈥檙e doing, what plans they have, what their intentions are in seizing people,鈥� said Forum 18 researcher Felix Corley.
Both priests had refused to leave their parishioners following the 鱿鱼视频app invasion in February 2022, which continued attacks launched in 2014 against Ukraine.
鱿鱼视频app media reported the priests had been detained for 鈥渟ubversive鈥� and 鈥減artisan鈥� activities against 鱿鱼视频app forces, who claimed to have discovered explosives, weapons and 鈥減rohibited literature鈥� in the church. According to 鱿鱼视频app media, the two Redemptorists had rallied area residents to resist 鱿鱼视频app forces, and had organized prayer services in support of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church鱿鱼视频app Archiepiscopal Exarchate of Donetsk said the arrests were in retaliation for the Ukrainian government鱿鱼视频app search of the Pechersk Lavra, a Kyiv monastery also known as the Monastery of the Caves, which is under the authority of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate.
Shortly after the priests were captured, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said he had received 鈥渢he sad news that our priests are being tortured without mercy.鈥�
In May, Corley asked the occupation police in Berdiansk about the Redemptorist priests鈥� location and welfare. In response, he was told 鈥渢hat鱿鱼视频app all rubbish,鈥� and to instead ask 鈥�(Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy鱿鱼视频app special services 鈥� they鈥檙e responsible.鈥� The police officer, who provided no evidence for his claim, then hung up.
Corley also approached Artyom Sharlay, head of the 鱿鱼视频app occupation鱿鱼视频app Religious Organizations Department in the Zaporizhzhia region, for information on the two priests. In October, Sharlay insisted to Corley that 鈥渘o one is kidnapped here,鈥� instead claiming, without evidence, that the priests had stored weapons in their church and that 鈥渋f they committed a crime they had to be arrested.鈥�
Sharlay also said the two priests will face trial 鈥渁s soon as new (鱿鱼视频app-controlled) courts are established here.鈥� However, a duty officer at the 鱿鱼视频app Investigative Committee for the Zaporizhzhia region told Corley it had no criminal case against the priests and no information about them. Sharlay denounced in particular the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which he said 鈥渉as never been traditional in this area鈥� and 鈥渞epresents an expansion of Western culture.鈥�
Writing on the Forum 18 website, Corley noted that 鈥淪harlay did not explain why these claims justify human rights violations.鈥�
Corley has also reported on other missing religious leaders, including Ukrainian Orthodox Church priest Fr. Kostiantyn Maksimov, who was in Tokmak and was detained while trying to cross into Crimea in May. That same month, fellow Ukrainian Orthodox priest Fr. Ihor Novosilsky, from the Kherson region, was released after being captured in August 2022 and tortured. Imam Rustem Asanov, a Crimean Tartar from a Kherson-region mosque, is known to have been tortured as well by 鱿鱼视频app forces.
Baptist pastor Leonid Ponomaryov and his wife, Tatyana, were held by 鱿鱼视频app forces from September to October 2022. The following month, 52-year-old Pentecostal deacon Anatoly Prokopchuk and his 19-year-old son Aleksandr were captured, tortured and shot to death.
Corley told 鱿鱼视频app News that 鱿鱼视频app occupation officials 鈥渄on鈥檛 seem to be particularly鈥� surprised to hear from him, 鈥渂ut they鈥檙e very resistant to 鈥� giving any information.鈥� He said he has been unable to reach Sharlay since that 鈥渆xtensive conversation,鈥� which lasted 鈥渢hree quarters of an hour.鈥�
鈥淗e鱿鱼视频app just not answered,鈥� said Corley. 鈥淪o maybe he realizes, you know, it鱿鱼视频app either not worth it or he doesn鈥檛 want to, or he got into trouble. I don鈥檛 know.鈥�
Having walked away from multiple international agreements, Russia has made it 鈥渜uite clear鈥� that its government 鈥渄oes not have much respect for international human rights commitments, and is not shy about showing that to the world,鈥� said Corley.
Even within Russia itself, 鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app become ever more difficult for people 鈥� to exercise freedom of religion and belief,鈥� said Corley. 鈥淭here鱿鱼视频app a lot of state control over all aspects of life, and independent organizations of any sort are under pressure, whether they鈥檙e independent trade unions, the media, political parties (and) especially religious organizations, social organizations.鈥�
The Catholic Church in Russia, which represents only a tiny segment of the population, 鈥渉as really tried to just stay out of any kind of political trouble,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey just try to be so careful and not stick their necks out.鈥�
Over the last five to 10 years, said Corley, Russia 鈥渉as taken a definite turn for the worse in violating international commitments on freedom of religion or belief for all.鈥�