In Lviv, journalists of the NTA TV channel organized surveillance and harassment of UOC believers

In Lviv, journalists of the local NTA TV channel released a report in which they revealed the addresses of private apartments used for worship services by believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The film crew had been following the clergy and parishioners for a year, accusing them of anti-Ukrainian activities and calling them «FSB agents» and «potential killers». This is reported by the SPJ.

As follows from the material entitled «Where in Lviv still pray for Putin and Patriarch Kirill? | Moscow Patriarchate in the underground», journalists led by Nadezhda Kovalchik admitted that for a year they had been following the priest Vladimir Sharabura, rector of the Holy Trinity Church, which was previously closed by the authorities. They tracked his movements and secretly filmed believers gathering for prayer in his private apartment.

The report revealed two specific addresses where the journalists claimed to have held services: on Snopkowska and Dashka streets. The story made serious accusations against UOC parishioners, who were described as «potentially new murderers,» «FSB agents in cassocks, « and «a ready army of saboteurs. « One of the priests, Sergei Reznikov, was allegedly presented as a «Russian agent».

Attempts of the owner of one of the apartments to defend his right to privacy and to prohibit filming were ignored by the film crew. At the end of the story, the journalists stated that they had uncovered «only two underground hotbeds of the Moscow Patriarchate,» suggesting that there were «many more of them operating,» which was taken as a call for further searches and persecution of believers.

Recall, in the town of Brody, Lviv region, on October 4, 2025, representatives of the PCU held cult activities in St. Vladimir’s Church, which belongs to the community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The seizure of the temple, which is the private property of believers and was closed by the authorities in 2023, was facilitated by members of the nationalist organization UNA-UNSO.