“Chaplain” of the OCU Hryshchuk Attempts to Justify Church Raids by Blaming the UOC

In a recent interview, OCU “chaplain” Roman Hryshchuk — known for his active involvement in conflicts surrounding churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church — responded to a journalist’s questions about the harsh methods he employs, particularly during the incident in the village of Verkhni Stanyvtsi. The interviewer openly stated that she does not support such actions, even if they aim to achieve a “noble goal.” “The end does not justify the means,” she emphasized, pointing out that only the state has the right to use legitimate force, and therefore vigilantism by representatives of the OCU — including clergy — is unacceptable. In response, Hryshchuk claimed that the published videos of the events were allegedly edited to discredit the OCU. The interview was released on the YouTube channel «Viche.»

According to Hryshchuk, OCU parishioners were the first to arrive at the church where the clash occurred and supposedly had no means of self-defense. He insisted that it was UOC parishioners who came with “sticks, batons, tear gas,” barricaded the church, used force, and injured “Right Sector” journalist Diana Lavryk. He also claimed that since “the OCU community is the rightful owner of the church, it has the right to enter and pray there whenever it wishes — whether at 6 a.m. or, in this case, 10 p.m.”

Hryshchuk justified his presence and actions by saying he was allegedly trying to protect “his parishioners” from the “aggressive actions of UOC believers.”

In further comments, he complained about an alleged media campaign against the OCU and blamed “Union of Orthodox Journalists,” “First Cossack,” and other media outlets, which, in his view, disseminate distorted information about such incidents. Hryshchuk also claimed that the videos filmed during the conflict helped police identify more than a hundred “draft dodgers” who, he alleged, were brought in to support the UOC with force.

Hryshchuk admitted that the state had officially registered the transition of the community to the OCU but stated that the law enforcement bodies allegedly did not act, so “OCU parishioners were forced to defend their church themselves.”

It should be recalled that on May 30, 2025, a forceful seizure of the Church of St. Elijah of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church took place in the village of Zabolottia in the Chernivtsi region. According to eyewitnesses, a group of OCU representatives — including the notorious “chaplain” Roman Hryshchuk and other clergy accompanied by activists — broke onto the church grounds and stormed the building with the support of law enforcement.