In the Rivne Region, local residents destroyed an 18th-century wooden church that belonged to the OCU

In the village of Zaborol, Rivne Region, local residents demolished a wooden church built back in 1762. According to eyewitnesses, the church was cut apart with chainsaws, after which the area was leveled by tractors. The church was under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). This was reported by TSN.

The incident was first reported by Mykola Benyuk, head of the art cluster at the Ostroh Academy, on his Facebook page. He published photos and shared details of the destruction:

“They cut the 18th-century church with chainsaws and then leveled the ground with tractors. On the flattened ground are fragments of skulls and human bones. Another ‘funeral’ for our history and culture.”

The church in Zaborol did not have the status of a national heritage monument but was a notable example of traditional wooden sacral architecture of 18th-century Volyn.

As of now, law enforcement agencies and the Ministry of Culture have not commented on the situation, and it remains unclear whether an investigation will be launched into the destruction of the church and possible violations of historical heritage protection laws.

Earlier, it was reported that the Cherkasy Regional State Administration planned to “save from destruction” an old abandoned church in the village of Kobrynove, dedicated to the Three Holy Hierarchs. According to regional authorities, the semi-ruined religious building will be “saved” by being added to the register of local architectural monuments.