OCU activists threaten a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who came from the front line to the funeral of his grandmother

On June 16, 2023, an incident occurred, about which the acting rector of the parish in the name of St. Nicholas in the village of Bodaki, Ternopil region, Priest Vasily Godovich.

It became known that «clerics», supporters of the OCU and representatives of local authorities are preventing the family of the newly deceased Olga from burying her in the UOC, as she herself bequeathed, threatening with physical violence. Her grandson came to the funeral from the hottest spots of hostilities.

«The military spoke out in order to fulfill the last will of his grandmother and received threats in his direction. He was told that he might not return back to the battlefield,» Father Vasily noted.

“People from the police, the village headman, the headman of the UTG come to the family of the deceased and say that they will not allow the “Moscow priest” to bury. This time they began to threaten that they would do so that the relatives of the deceased would not receive any help, etc. “Yesterday the police arrived, next to them was a bus, the local poultry farmers brought with them axes, rakes, pitchforks, they said, if anything, they would beat the “Moscow priest”,» the rector said.

The priest also added that they decided to at least just bury the believer in the cemetery, and then sing a funeral service in absentia. However, the raiders stated that «they would not be allowed into the cemetery, because it is their property» and set the condition that only their «priest» of the OCU would bury the deceased.

As long as the conflict continues. Father Vasily said that the «clerics» of the OCU entered the house of the family of the deceased by force and performed their service there. However, the relatives did not give the deceased to them and called the police squad «102».

“They don’t let me go there now. I’m standing in the vicinity of the village. The police, who arrived at the place, forbid me to approach the hut of the deceased, threatening that they would shoot,” the rector said from the scene.