In Rivne region, supporters of the OCU did not allow participants in the Cross Procession to Pochaiv to stop for the night near the local UOC church

On July 31, 2025, in the village of Demydivka, Rivne region, supporters of the OCU blocked the path of participants in the Cross Procession of believers of the UOC, which was heading from the Volyn region to the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra for the feast in honor of the Pochaiv Icon of the Mother of God. In previous years, participants in the Cross Procession traditionally stopped for the night on the territory of the Holy John the Theologian Church of the UOC in Demydivka, but this time local supporters of the OCU drove them out of the village. This was reported by Suspilne.Rivne.

“This morning at 5 a.m., people came out with flags on the bridge to stop the pilgrims, but someone warned them. At 4 a.m., they got on buses and drove towards Volyn,” – said village head Serhiy Radchenko.

The conflict was also confirmed by the local police. According to law enforcement agencies, they received several reports about the situation.

“They have already left the territory of the Rivne region. There were no casualties as a result of the clash,” – said the spokeswoman for the Rivne region police.

Earlier, we reported that Ukrainian media outlets were trying to discredit the cross procession of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which left the Volyn region for the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra. Secular Internet resources are copying the same news word for word, indicating that the procession allegedly causes “mixed reactions among the local population.”