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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Former FSB officer Illya Bogdanov, who fights on Ukraine's side, became a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (PCU) and a chaplain of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDC).
Former FSB border guard officer who switched to Ukraine's side, fighter of the Russian Volunteer Corps Illya Bogdanov, whom the FSB actively tried to eliminate, became a priest of the PCU and a chaplain of the RDC.
He announced this on his Instagram.
The priestly ordination (consecration to the priestly rank) of Bogdanov took place 26 in October, on the feast day of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki.
“During the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Oleksandr Drabynko of Pereiaslav and Vyshneve ordained me to the priestly rank. From now on I am a priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and a chaplain of the Russian Volunteer Corps,” Bogdanov wrote.
He thanked Metropolitan Oleksandr for the trust and spiritual guidance, as well as the leadership of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the commander of the RDC, his wife, friends, and everyone who supported him on the path to priesthood.
“I have the strength, the desire, and the determination to develop pastoral ministry. There is much work ahead, trials and surprises. But I believe that the Lord, who brought me to this path, will not abandon me in the future,” the newly ordained priest noted.
And he added:
“For jokes about the ‘FSB in a cassock,’ I will send you to hell. Just kidding, I will place you on an indefinite blacklist,” Bogdanov wrote.
He also asked for prayers to be worthy of his vocation and “to faithfully serve God, the Church, and people.”
“I served with a sword, now I will serve with words”: how Bogdanov came to priesthood
Before his priestly ordination, Illya Bogdanov in March 2206 was ordained a deacon of the PCU. The deaconate ordination was also performed by Metropolitan Oleksandr Drabynko.
Then Bogdanov said that he always knew he would become a serviceman, and also felt a calling to the priesthood, although for a long time he tried to avoid it.
After his ordination to the diaconate, he returned to military duties, but emphasized that he would no longer participate in killing enemies.
“Ordained — and back to the sector, though now with no right to kill. There is no alternative here. But, as they say, I have fulfilled this plan. Served with a sword, now I will serve with words. I hope to continue learning to become a priest. May the Lord arrange it,” he wrote.
Now Bogdanov has carried out this intention by receiving the priestly rank.
What is known about Illya Bogdanov:
Illya Bogdanov is a former officer of the FSB Russia Border Guard, who switched to Ukraine's side. He participated in combat against Russian occupiers, notably as part of the Russian Volunteer Corps tied to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Also known as the founder of the Korean restaurant “Pyan-Se” in Kyiv.
Russian special services repeatedly tried to eliminate Bogdanov. After his ordination as a deacon, he joked that an assassination attempt on him would now also be an attack on a clergyman of the Orthodox Church.
In February 2025 he resurfaced after several months of disappearance.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Колишній офіцер ФСБ Ілля Богданов, який воює на боці України, став священником ПЦУ та капеланом РДК". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.
