"So You Believe in Your Jesus? Did He Save You?" – How Russian Forces Tortured Ukrainian Priest Serhii Chudinovych in Occupied Kherson
On the occupied territories, Russian troops treat priests of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine with particular cruelty.
As Russian dictator Vladimir Putin complains about supposed persecution of the Moscow Patriarchate, Russian forces abduct, torture, and kill priests of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and destroy their churches. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the occupiers have killed 50 clergy members and destroyed nearly 700 churches.
Father Serhii Chudinovych, the rector of the Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin in Kherson, also fell victim to Russian brutality. From the first days of occupation, his church became a center of aid for local residents.
Inside the church, Father Serhii organized the distribution of medicine and food and even set up an improvised barbershop. He continued to hold services in Ukrainian and uplift the spirit of his congregation. For this, Russian forces arrested him, accusing him of working with Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups. They beat him, mocked his faith, attempted to rape him, and threatened to kill his family.
Two and a half years after these horrific events, Father Serhii recounts how the Ukrainian Church helped Kherson survive the occupation, what Russians truly believe, and how he managed to escape captivity.
«I Began Serving the Divine Liturgy for Soldiers»
Father Serhii meets us in Irpin, in the Church of St. Nicholas and the Transfiguration of the Lord. The small church bears the scars of war — its walls are pockmarked with shrapnel, and the roof has been pierced by shells.
During the Russian offensive on Kyiv in February and March 2022, the occupiers mercilessly shelled the city's suburbs, including Irpin. At the time, this church still belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate, but that did not stop Russian forces from targeting it. One of the local priests was killed in the attacks.
Father Serhii became rector of the church in June 2024, after the entire religious community of Irpin voted to leave the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate and join the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
«People in Irpin are furious at the Russians. There's not a single Russian church left here. Those who suffered the most have no sympathy for them», Father Serhii says.
He lost all illusions about Russia's intentions ten years ago when Russian forces annexed Crimea. On March 1, 2014, Russian troops stormed the Crimean parliament, forcing it to vote in favor of Russian military intervention on the peninsula. Two days later, Father Serhii and his colleague, Father Ihor, delivered humanitarian aid to an army base in Kherson Oblast.
The priest recalls that his first impression of the state of the Ukrainian army was: «You just wanted to hug them and cry". Ukrainian soldiers had low-quality "Dubok" camouflage uniforms and boots so poor they were almost unwearable. Believers from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate) collected donations, which clergy members used to buy and deliver combat boots from second-hand stores to the military. But their support went beyond physical aid. In a time of uncertainty and fear, the clergy of the Kyiv Patriarchate introduced a special liturgy to be held on military bases.
«There was no such thing as military chaplaincy in 2014," Father Serhii recalls. "So I began serving the Divine Liturgy for the soldiers. It was a shortened service, approved by our church leadership at the time — they created an abbreviated rite, and we conducted it for almost eight years».
This 30-40 minute service is still used by military chaplains today when holding liturgies near the front lines. During those early days, Father Serhii built lasting friendships with many servicemen. Among them was Brigadier General Serhii Sobko, former deputy commander of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces. Back then, Sobko was a major in the 95th Air Assault Brigade.
"A good, honorable soldier—his unit was run with German-like precision," Chudinovych recalls.
In the spring of 2014, as Russian aggression escalated, clergy from nearly all Christian denominations in Kherson united to support the Ukrainian army.
Well, almost all, except the Moscow Patriarchate. On March 16, 2014, priests from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and several Protestant churches held a public prayer service for Ukraine in front of the Kherson Regional Council.
That day, standing in the square, Father Serhii Chudinovych addressed the crowd:
"If I love a Ukrainian soldier, I will go to him and read him a prayer. If my parishioner loves a Ukrainian soldier, no one has to organize him. He himself will create a mission to support our army within the church. I know that in every church in Kherson — Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant — all of them, except the Moscow Patriarchate — people bring their last coins to support our military. And in this, their love is revealed."
«I called him a week after the ‘referendum,’ and by then, he had already absorbed all the Russian TV propaganda. He spoke in their slogans. I put down the phone, and after that, we never spoke again».
This personal loss did not change Father Serhii's devotion to the Ukrainian army or Ukraine itself. Back in 2014, he saw how enemy intelligence services could sow division even within a single family. And he knew the Russians would not stop.
Eight years later, his fears became a reality.
«I Called My Wife and Said Goodbye»
From Mykolaiv, Serhii Chudinovych returned to Kherson on the second day of the full-scale war and went straight to the Territorial Recruitment Center to enlist in the Territorial Defense Forces. However, by that time, all available rifles had already been distributed.
With no weapons left, the priest returned to his parishioners and continued conducting liturgies in Ukrainian at the Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin in the Ostriv neighborhood of Kherson. When the internet was available, he and his helpers streamed services live on the church's Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.
Residents of nearby neighborhoods began gathering at the church, which quickly became a hub for distributing humanitarian aid and a sort of «club» for people living in fear and uncertainty.
With pharmacies in Kherson closed and many vital medications unavailable, priests traveled to Mykolaiv, where the medicine was still accessible, and brought supplies back to the city.
The church set up a coffee machine and offered free coffee to anyone who wanted it. Serhii came up with a humorous sign to encourage patriotism among parishioners: "‘Odno kofe’ — 1000 UAH, ‘Odin kofе’ — 500 UAH, ‘Odna kava, bud’ laska’ — free of charge." In reality, anyone was welcome to enjoy a hot drink regardless of how they ordered.
A small medical office was opened, where healthcare workers checked blood pressure and distributed medications. By March 2022, the church had also launched a barbershop. There were no fixed prices for services, but donations were welcomed. All collected funds went toward fuel for trips to Mykolaiv to buy medicine — until the ring of Russian forces around Kherson tightened.
«I don’t like the word ‘volunteer’ because, for a Christian, it’s impossible not to show goodwill," says the priest. "We did what we could, helping with simple things. I didn’t have much time back then, so I started conducting what I called ‘people’s services.’ I told my parishioners, ‘Here’s a book in the middle of the church, here’s what needs to be read.’ The congregation would take turns reading the Holy Scriptures aloud. That’s how it was: over here, there was a service, over there, coffee was brewing, here, haircuts were being given, and right next to that, medicine was being handed out».
By early March 2022, Russian troops had begun entering the city. On March 1, local Territorial Defense forces attempted to confront them in Lilac Park, but the odds were overwhelmingly uneven. The occupiers mowed them down with heavy machine guns and armored vehicles. Most of the city’s defenders perished.
On March 3, former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko called Father Serhii, asking him to come to the cemetery near the Zymivnyk settlement in the steppe outside the city to hold a funeral service for the fallen Territorial Defense members.
The bodies of those killed in the Lilac Park, along with other self-defense members found in different parts of the city, were brought there.
Father Serhii called his wife to say goodbye and gave instructions to his parishioners about where he wanted to be buried — he feared he might not return from the service alive.
«The first bus arrived, driven by the director of the municipal funeral services company," Father Serhii recalls. "At first, he brought eight bodies, then ten more. They had no coffins; some were wrapped in cloth. The bodies were simply laid in rows and photographed to remember where each one was buried. I conducted the memorial service, recorded a video, and sent it to a friend».
To this day, the exact number of people killed on March 1 in Kherson remains unknown. Some bodies were found near the Antonivskyi Bridge; others were collected from the streets. From many, only remains were left, gathered into bags and brought to the cemetery. At that time, the Russians did not interfere with the burials of the city’s defenders. Nor did they intervene on March 15, when Father Serhii held a funeral service at the Ostriv church for Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier Ihor Ivanykovych from Ivano-Frankivsk, whose body could not be evacuated from Kherson. The service was streamed on Facebook, allowing the soldier’s family to participate remotely.
Meanwhile, Russian intelligence closely monitored the activities of the church community and its tireless pastor. It wasn’t long before they made their move.
«Now We'll Tear You Apart Piece by Piece»
During the early days of the occupation, while pro-Ukrainian rallies were held in Kherson, the invaders left the Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin alone. However, by late March, after consolidating their grip on the city, they began paying attention to it.
It started when the humorous sign about free coffee began circulating in pro-Russian Telegram groups. Upon learning this, Serhii Chudinovych stopped sleeping at his registered address. Nevertheless, Russian intelligence eventually came to the church.
On March 30, they arrived in the morning, just before Father Serhii’s daily meeting with his assistants. Clearly, someone had informed them about the church’s schedule.
The priest was led to a car, and the Russians told the congregation that he was being taken away for a 40-minute “conversation.” They blindfolded him with a scarf and drove off. As an experienced driver, Serhii realized they were taking him to the regional police headquarters.
At first, they didn’t beat him. Instead, they inspected his phone, questioned him about his activities, and asked about his connections to Ukrainian military personnel and sabotage groups. Serhii denied having any such ties. Then they took him to the basement, where they fingerprinted him, photographed him, and locked him in a cell. He wasn’t given water or allowed to use the restroom. He spent several hours in that basement.
Later, the Russians returned and said:
"Lying Ukrainian media have declared you dead, so nothing’s holding us back. Now we'll tear you apart piece by piece."
What followed was a nightmare of torture. They beat him with rubber batons, strangled him with their hands, and stripped him. For every answer they deemed unsatisfactory, they removed another piece of his clothing until he was left completely naked. The physical abuse was accompanied by cruel mockery of his faith.
"There was a man nicknamed Voron, and he said: ‘You believe in your Jesus, but did He save you? I believe in Odin,’" Serhii recalls of the most harrowing day of his life. "I was so thirsty I couldn’t speak. I asked for water, and they gave me diluted alcohol. They beat me near my heart and strangled me with their hands. They forced me to my knees and tried to shove a baton into my anus."
Eventually, Serhii signed a document agreeing to cooperate, and the torture stopped. The Russians assigned him a task: to lead them to a group of Kherson residents they suspected of sabotage. He agreed. Afterward, they blindfolded him again, drove him away from the police headquarters, and dropped him off on the street.
Father Serhii returned home, but for the next several days, he couldn’t get out of bed due to the physical pain. Worse than that, however, were his spiritual torments — he had agreed to betray his acquaintances.
Determined not to cooperate with the enemy, he made a difficult decision: to flee the city.
On April 6, the eve of the Annunciation, Serhii got into his car and drove through fields, bypassing Russian checkpoints in the Mykolaiv region. The route was treacherous, as the fields were mined, but he managed to escape unharmed.
The first thing the Kherson priest did upon reaching free Ukrainian territory was report to the police, filing a statement about everything he had endured in Russian captivity.
«I went through filtration and a polygraph", Serhii says. "The state has no questions for me."
«The Moscow Patriarchate Is a Branch of the FSB»
After the liberation of Kherson, Serhii Chudinovych returned to the city, resumed conducting services at the church, and continued helping those in need.
However, the occupiers began shelling the city. Guided aerial bombs fell directly onto the churchyard, forcing the suspension of humanitarian aid distribution. When the Russians blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, the Ostriv neighborhood was flooded, along with the church.
Since the summer of 2024, Father Serhii has lived in Irpin. The torture left lasting scars; he has been hospitalized three times in a stroke ward. Despite this, he continues his ministry and has gathered a community of Kherson residents around his new church.
Even after the de-occupation of Irpin, church staff continued to find propaganda leaflets praising the «Russian Orthodox Army» and icons of Russian saints.
«Russians don’t even use the word ‘Christianity’; they only say ‘Orthodoxy.’ The Moscow Patriarchate is a branch of the FSB," Serhii says. "It’s the perfect agent — it does everything an agent would do, but doesn’t think of itself as one».
According to Serhii, language and faith were among the key factors that helped Kherson endure the occupation. By 2014, when the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbas began, the city had 22 communities of the Ukrainian Church. The Russian Church had more — 35 — but it didn’t dominate the city.
For eight years, from the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine to the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian churches held Sunday liturgies and communities formed around them. This prevented the city’s total Russification.
«Take away a person’s culture, take away their faith, and even the army won’t be able to help them. The Russians work very hard at this. They’re still infiltrating us through music, through software, constantly — and they’ll keep doing it», says the Kherson priest, who has experienced firsthand what «the Russian world» truly means.
