Moscow, January 16, 2017
Photo: http://uoj.org.ua/upload/iblock/01e/01eb114f7d594994d36f7b872cc1dced.jpg
At 4 in the morning on January 16, unknown perpetrators attempted to set fire to a parish of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate in Kiev, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
Three bottles filled with a flammable mixture were thrown over the fence at the façade of the Mother of God “Softener of Evil Hearts” parish, although none exploded. The guard on duty managed to single-handedly defuse the devices, the façade suffering only minor damage.
“We regard the arsonists’ failure as a miracle shown to us by the Mother of God,” stated parish rector Fr. John Tronko.
He also noted that he sees no signs of sectarian strife in the attack, but rather it is likely due to a dispute over the land on which the church is located, which “unscrupulous developers” seek to seize.
This is not the first attempt to set fire to this particular temple. The church was pelted with Molotov cocktails in January 2016, although the fire was quickly put out, with only minor damage to the façade then as well.
