Zabolotye, Chernivtsi Province, Ukraine, June 2, 2025
Schismatic “priest” kicks an Orthodox woman during the church seizure. Photo: spzh.eu
With Ukrainian politicians declaring they will never stop persecuting the Orthodox Church, police and schismatics continue to team up in violent church seizures. One of the latest incidents, in which the priest and elderly parishioners were physically attacked, occurred at the Prophet Elijah Church in the western Ukrainian village of Zabolotye, Chernivtsi Province.
On Friday, May 30, a group of “clergy” and activists from the graceless “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” stormed the church under police protection, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
Among the schismatic clerics at the scene was Roman Grischuk who has earned a reputation as a serial raider.
In a scenario that has repeated hundreds of times across Ukraine, the faithful Orthodox parishioners came to peacefully and prayerfully defend their holy sites, but were shoved and attacked by the OCU raiders. Video from the scene shows “Priest” Petro Andrichuk kicking an Orthodox woman.
The police pulled him away, but he later returned to continue shoving parishioners.
Despite the persecution, violence, and hatred that they face every day, the faithful of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox church under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine continuously show the strength of their faith, responding to violence with prayer.
Police officers formed a wall on the church porch, guarding the militants who were breaking down the door of the church and preventing the Orthodox Christians from entering. Reports from the scene indicated that the schismatics brought supplies to spend the night in the church.
The raiders, members of the Ukrainian state “church,” broke down the doors to the singing of the Ukrainian national anthem, while the Orthodox Christians prayed.
Despite losing their church, more than a hundred parishioners came on Sunday to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on the street, celebrated by their rector, Archpriest Nikola Tskurkan, who was injured in the attack two days before.
“This was not just a gathering, but a true witness of faith and indestructibility,” writes the UOC Diocese of Chernivtsi and Bukovina.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
