UOC church seized in Khreschatyk, people thrown out

Seizure of the UOC Church in Khreschatyk, Chernivtsi Region. Photo: screenshot from the video spzh.news

On February 15, 2023, supporters of the OCU seized the Church of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki in the village of Khreschatyk in the Chernivtsi region. Parishioners of the church reported this to the UOJ.

According to eyewitnesses, OCU activists broke all the locks on the church doors and then burst inside:

"After the service, they took over the church, locked the doors, and did not let anyone else in. They were arguing, shouting, and singing the Ukrainian anthem," the believers said. "Then they threw the priest (from the UOC) out onto the street. In the afternoon, a drunken 'priest' from the OCU came, who started insulting people, could not stand on his feet, and rushed to the altar. He said that everything here belonged to him."

It is known that the organizers of the church raid are local businessmen – agronomist Serhiy Luchyk and furniture store owner Volodymyr Tyasko.

"Our village is small, only 900 people. And it benefits our agronomist to take over the church. Because this way neither his son, nor his son-in-law, nor other relatives will be taken to the war. It's terrible that people who never went to church came to destroy everything here," the parishioners added.

As the UOJ reported, people in camouflage attempted to seize the Intercession church of the UOC in the village of Trebukhiv, Kyiv region.

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