We will remind, earlier we reported that in the village of Smolyary in Volyn region supporters and representatives of the OCU provoked a conflict against the local religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in honor of St. Job of Pochaev. The reason was once again the funeral service of a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who died in the performance of military duty at the front. Representatives of the OCU and relatives of the deceased demanded that the UOC priest provide a church for the funeral, but were refused, which provoked a scandal.
In Odessa region, supporters of the OCU used the funeral of an AFU soldier as a provocation to the UOC
An incident that led to accusations against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church occurred in the village of Novoselovka in Odessa Region during a farewell ceremony for Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Flaviy Lyanka. Representatives of the OCU said that the UOC refused to let the coffin with the body of the deceased into the temple, but in the Odessa diocese of the UOC call what happened a planned provocation. This is reported by the UOJ.
The ceremony of farewell to the 27-year-old soldier Flavius Lianka took place on September 17, 2025. The serviceman died in Zaporizhzhya region back in 2023 and for some time was reported missing. As reported in the Odessa diocese, at the request of relatives, the absentee funeral of the soldier was performed by the priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church last year. After the body was returned to Ukraine, the family initially agreed with the UOC to hold a memorial service.
According to the source, at the last moment the mother of the deceased invited a OCU chaplain, refusing the services of a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It is alleged that the reason for this decision was an unspoken rule according to which the state pays for the funerals of only those servicemen who are buried by OCU chaplains, and the family did not have the funds to organize the funeral.
After the funeral service performed by a representative of the OCU, the funeral procession headed towards the cemetery. The provocation was organized at the gate of the UOC church, which was closed at that moment. The main organizer of the incident is called OCU cleric Vladislav Shiman, who stated on his Facebook page that the local rector allegedly forbade to bring the body of the defender into the temple.
Representatives of the UOC congregation denied these accusations. «No one asked to open the temple for the funeral service, because the funeral service had already been held. We were ready to hold a memorial service, but the family was persuaded by representatives of the OCU. What happened at the gate of the temple is a pre-planned picture to denigrate the UOC», — said the community. Local residents also confirmed that, although the church itself was closed due to the lack of services on that day, the temple territory remained open.
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