OCU supporters finally seize UOC cathedral in Cherkasy

After an unsuccessful nighttime seizure attempt, the OCU raiders, having increased their number, finally took possession of the Archangel Michael Cathedral of the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. During another clash, the clergy and parishioners of the church were expelled from the premises. Many clergymen and believers of the UOC suffered injuries of varying severity and chemical burns from the use of tear gas by the raiders. This is reported by the Telegram channel Raskolam.net.

In the video published by the media, the raiders use force and tear gas against the clergy and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to push them out of the territory of the Archangel Michael Cathedral of the Cherkasy Diocese of the UOC. As a result of the use of brute force, the invaders managed to expel Metropolitan Theodosius and other defenders of the cathedral. The bishop, for his part, said that grace had left the cathedral together with the faithful and called on parishioners to pray in the underground.

“A perfect illustration of ‘spiritual independence’ from Zelensky and ‘unity of Ukrainian Orthodoxy’ from Bartholomew. Let the whole world witness how the Orthodox Church is being dealt with in Ukraine, replacing it with a simulacrum under the sign of the OCU,” — the commentary to the video reads.

Earlier, the mayor of Cherkasy, Anatoly Bondarenko, together with local representatives of the OCU and right-wing radical organizations, recorded an appeal on their social media accounts calling for the end of the seizure of the local Archangel Michael Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which began last night. Supporters of the OCU claim that the UOC believers themselves seized the cathedral, which allegedly “passed to the OCU” last night, and call on “concerned citizens” to help expel the rightful owners from the church.