Ukrainian authorities seize Orthodox monastery in Pereyaslav as police forcibly remove monks (+VIDEO)

Pereyaslav, Kiev Province, Ukraine, May 12, 2026

Photo: spzh.eu Photo: spzh.eu   

Ukrainian authorities continue to wage war on Ukrainian citizens who belong to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Yesterday, police and representatives of the Pereyaslav National Historical and Ethnographic Preserve seized the St. Michael’s Monastery in Pereyaslav, Kiev Province. Monks and clergy were physically assaulted during the operation as special forces and law enforcement officers surrounded the monastery and forced their way inside, reports First Cossack.

Video footage from the scene shows police using physical force against Orthodox Christians attempting to protect the monastery. Officers physically dragged believers away from the monastery gates and removed Archimandrite Anthony (Pukhan), the abbot of the monastery, before breaking the locks to gain entry.

Following the seizure, museum workers accompanied by special forces entered the monastery premises and began conducting an inventory of the monastery’s property. Police ordered parishioners who had prayed at the monastery for decades to leave, calling them “outsiders” and demanding they vacate the premises.

Museum representatives, backed by special forces, reportedly entered even the monks’ personal cells, to which state institutions have no legal rights. Parishioners compared the scene to Bolshevik actions 100 years ago when the monastery was similarly seized from Orthodox Christians.

This was not the first attempt to take control of the monastery, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists. In June 2023, raiders attempted a forcible seizure, but the community led by Archimandrite Anthony successfully defended the monastery by forming a “living shield” to block the attackers.

In November 2025, Pereyaslav city authorities escalated legal pressure when city council deputies passed a decision to “eliminate obstacles” to the Preserve’s operations, effectively ordering police to evict the monks. Mayor Viacheslav Saulko openly demanded immediate execution of a court eviction order and accused law enforcement of “insufficient activity” in carrying out the expulsion.

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5/12/2026

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The nuns have found shelter in the small abbess’ building and refuse to leave. Armed guards accompany them everywhere, even to feed the chickens. Mother Dorothea refuted media reports about an alleged voluntary transfer, stating she never handed over keys or signed any documents.

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