OCU representatives seize UOC church in Dnipropetrovs'k region

On May 22, a group of individuals representing the OCU seized the St. Panteleimon Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Vilne, Dnipropetrovsk region. According to local parishioners, OCU representatives cut the locks and entered the church, which had been built through the efforts of the UOC community. This was reported by the Dozor channel on “Pershyi Kozatskyi”.

The church had been illegally re-registered to the OCU two years ago, but the UOC faithful continued to fight for the right to pray in their sacred space. At present, according to eyewitnesses, the building is under the control of OCU representatives.

Parishioners managed to remove icons and church items in time to protect them from possible desecration.

The UOC community in Vilne plans to file a lawsuit and resolve the conflict through legal means.

It is worth noting that during an interview with former ROCOR nun Vassa Larin, the head of Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnic Policy, Viktor Yelensky, stated that Draft Law No. 8371, “aimed at countering the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, is not an act of persecution against the UOC.”