Potievka, Zhytomyr Province, Ukraine, September 16, 2025
uoc-news.church
On September 13, the Protection of the Theotokos Church of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Potievka, Zhytomyr Province, was forcibly seized under the direct leadership of Vasily (Vladimir) Shlapak, “Archbishop” of Zhytomyr and Polesia of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”
The incident began with a gathering in the village center. According to local residents, many participants weren’t from Potievka and weren’t parishioners of the local church. The actual parishioners who regularly attend services didn’t participate in the meeting and stood peacefully near the church to prevent bloodshed, reports a correspondent of the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
The meeting was organized by Maria Surzhik, who doesn’t reside in the village. She publicly stated that they wouldn’t seize the church.
However, after a vote, Shlapak called for people to go to the church. Upon reaching the locked church gates, the godless “bishop” showed his disdain for holy sites, ordering a group of men to break through the fence. After they created an opening, Shlapak was the first to crawl through the hole, followed by clergy and other activists.
At the church doors, Shlapak ordered someone to find a crowbar and break the locks. When people hesitated to enter the church through such violent means, Shlapak repeatedly urged them on, saying: “What are you afraid of? Take the crowbar and break it. They don’t need to be pitied!”
As a result, the locks on the church building were broken and people entered the church. These actions continued despite appeals from church parishioners, including elderly people, young mothers with children, and active military personnel on leave, who urged them not to break into the holy site.
An investigative-operational group was later called to document the incident.
Local residents and church parishioners testified that a significant portion of those who forcibly entered the church weren’t residents of Potievka.
When confronted by the faithful, Shlapak insisted that his actions were perfectly legal.
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