In Rivne region, an unidentified person threw a grenade into the prayer house of the UOC congregation, from which the church had been taken away earlier

On the night of August 23, 2024, an unknown person threw a grenade into the adapted premises of the Holy Protection religious community of the UOC in the village of Strelsk, Rivne region (Sarny Diocese of the UOC), where believers were performing services. Earlier, the local Holy Protection Church was seized by representatives of the OCU, as a result of which the UOC community had to look for another place to meet their religious needs. This is reported by the official website of the diocese.

“According to Archpriest Oleg Gavrilchik, rector of the Holy Protection parish in the village of Strelsk of the Sarny-Polish Diocese of the UOC, today, at 2 am, not just an act of vandalism was committed, but an attempt to physically destroy the prayer building of the Holy Protection church community. Unknown attackers threw a grenade into the prayer room, which led to an explosion and its partial destruction. Believers of the UOC consider this explosion not only as the destruction of the building in which they pray after the raider seizure of the church by supporters of the OCU, but also as the physical destruction of citizens of Ukraine and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” — the statement says.

Earlier, we reported on the illegal entry and arson of two buildings of the monastery complex in honor of the Nativity of John the Baptist of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Verbka, Volyn region.