The family of a Ukrainian American pastor says Russian armed forces abducted the man on Saturday and that they have not heard from him since.
The pastor of the Word of Life Church in Melitopol, Ukraine, 50-year-old Dmitry Bodyu, was taken from his home by roughly eight or 10 troops, his wife, Helen, and their 30-year-old daughter, Esther Bodyu-Ogawa, told NBC News.
“They just came in in the morning,” Bodyu said, adding that they had confiscated devices such as phones, computers, and personal documents including a U.S. passport.
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Before entering the home, the troops set up a wall around the building, Bodyu-Ogawa said she was told by her family. Once inside, the troops questioned the pastor in the kitchen while his wife waited in the living room, Bodyu said, noting they were not aggressive.
“They walked in, and they just started kind of questioning him right away, like, ‘Are you guys American citizens?’ That’s kind of, like, one of the first questions they had,” Bodyu said.
Among the reasons Bodyu-Ogawa, who lives in Hawaii, speculated her father might have been taken include because of his investments in local restaurants, their U.S. citizenship, or because of his involvement in preaching.
“I know they were going through all of his preaching videos, because that’s what they told my mom when they came back on Monday, to bring all their computers and phones back,” Bodyu-Ogawa said. Upon returning, troops took a Bible and a sleeping bag, but the family did not hear any update about the pastor.
“We’re just hoping for the best, and we’re praying for him, and we’re praying that he’s strong,” Bodyu-Ogawa said.
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The State Department said it was aware of the reports but declined to comment for privacy reasons, NBC News reported.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Helen Bodyu for a comment but did not receive a response back.
