Shostka Church of Synaxis of the Theotokos damaged over Russian shelling

The UOC Church of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos in Shostka was damaged by shelling. Photo: Suspilne

On the night of May 2 to 3, 2025, as a result of a Russian airstrike on the of town of Shostka, Sumy region, the UOC Church of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos was damaged. This was reported by the Shostka mayor, Mykola Noha, according to the "Suspilne" website.

The church rector, Ihor Drabochuk, said that explosions occurred right next to the church.

"As you can see, the windows were blown out. Icons, thank God, are intact. Only one was damaged. The roof was also lifted, it was blown off, and the central dome too. I just went up to the roof, and it seems to be shaking," said the rector.

Father Ihor lives 100 meters from the church. He said that he first heard the whistle, and after the impact, saw flames. He immediately ran to check the church. At that moment, Russian military forces struck nearby again.

"I opened the church and went inside. I heard the sound. I ran out of the church, behind the building, and hid behind that house. I went further away from it because if I had been near the building, shrapnel would have flown. And again, four more strikes, very terrible. Literally one here, about 15 meters away, another strike hit the garage," he recalls.

Nearby lives a parishioner of the church, Liudmyla Yefimenko. She said that after the strikes, she couldn't sleep. In the morning, the woman came to the service at the church and saw the damage.

"All the windows were blown out, all the windows. You can see what’s happening. My library, a lot of spiritual literature, all the books are scattered on the floor, the frames," she said.

As reported by the UOJ, the UOC church in Shostka was damaged as a result of a Russian shelling.

Read also