On February 27, which is the third day since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, there was the information received that the rector of the Holy Trinity Church of Odesa, father Vasyl Virozub was a part of the Ukrainian mission of rescuing the border guards from the island Zmíinny, when together with the crew of the civilian rescue ship “Sapphire” he was captured by the enemy.
Since then, the priest and the chaplain of the OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine) have been captured by Russians, suffering from moral and physical tortures.
This was reported by witnesses – who are the crew members, the chaplains of Protestant religious organizations, and other Ukrainians who were released thanks to a prisoner exchange. As to father Vasily, the only information about him available is that he has been transported from one place to another several time, from Crimea to the Russian Federation, and then to a detention center in the Rostovskaya region.
It is clear that there is no sense to appeal to the conscience and mercy of Russian invaders, and therefore we appeal to the representatives of the global community, religious leaders, and all missions with a request to assist in releasing Very Reverend Vasyl Virozub from Russian captivity!
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