We recall that on June 17, 2025, in Chernivtsi, there was an attempt to violently seize the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by raiders associated with the OCU. According to reports from believers and representatives of the Chernivtsi-Bukovina Diocese, about 50 people in balaclavas and sportswear blocked all entrances to the temple. Eyewitnesses report that the attackers used force against believers and also used tear gas. One of the videos from the scene shows the bloodied hand of one of the victims.
Community of the UOC Cathedral in Chernivtsi filed a complaint with the State Bureau of Investigation against the deputy chief of the local police for his participation in the attempted seizure of the church
The clergy and faithful of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have filed a collective statement with the State Bureau of Investigation against Deputy Chief of Police of Chernivtsi Sviatoslav Kyshlar. The law enforcement officer is accused of facilitating the raider seizure of the diocesan cathedral and actively participating in this process. This is reported by the UOJ.
It is reported that in the application filed in accordance with Article 214 of the CPC of Ukraine, the actions of the police are qualified as abuse of power or official authority (Part 2 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The community claims that during the incident on June 17, high-ranking law enforcement officials were not only present during the use of physical violence against believers, but also actually condoned these actions and did not take measures to stop them.
According to the document, at least six people were injured in the incident: Valentyna Storenko, Roman Forosta, Vitaliy Goncharyuk, Karp Domtrashchuk, Georgiy Popovich, Dmytro Lakusta and others. All of them received medical care. The statement emphasizes the brutal beating of UOC priest Roman Forosta by unknown persons.
The statement emphasizes that the actions of the officials clearly went beyond the limits of their authority and contradicted the rights and interests of citizens protected by law. The applicants demand that the information be immediately entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, that a full-fledged criminal proceeding be initiated, and that all necessary information on the course of the investigation be provided to the applicant.
The application was accompanied by photo and video evidence of the incident, and additional eyewitness testimony was promised. According to Ukrainian law, the SBI is obliged to accept the application and enter the relevant information into the register within 24 hours to initiate an investigation. The law does not allow refusing to register such applications.
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