In Slavyansk, intruders broke into two churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

On the night of October 1, 2026, in the city of Slavyansk, Donetsk Oblast, two Orthodox churches were attacked—one dedicated to the Icon of the Mother of God “Derzhavnaya” and the other to St. Seraphim of Sarov. The perpetrators broke the locks, forced open the doors, damaged church furnishings, and desecrated the sacred objects.

According to , the Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Archbishop Paisius of Konstantinovka, Vicar of the Kyiv Metropolis, reported on the incident. According to the hierarch, representatives of the OCU are suspected of committing this crime; they had previously attempted to transfer three religious communities in the city to their jurisdiction.

Law enforcement officers were promptly summoned to the scene and began investigating the illegal entry into the religious buildings. Archbishop Paisiy also noted that cases concerning the illegal re-registration of religious communities are currently being heard in court, which, according to church representatives, may be linked to the ongoing conflict.

As a reminder, on the night of February 22, 2025, in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, , unknown individuals broke into the local St. Nicholas Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the intent to rob it, where they ransacked the premises.  This is already the second incident of desecration of UOC churches in the region in recent days.