Fire destroys prayer house of UOC community in Volyn, whose church was seized by OCU supporters earlier

On the evening of December 30, 2025, a tragedy occurred in the village of Nichohivka, Lutsk district: a temporary prayer room burned to the ground, where the community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, whose church had previously been seized by supporters of the OCU, had been gathering for almost seven years. The fire destroyed the entire building, the church’s decoration, and everything that the believers had arranged for worship. This loss is especially bitter because it occurred just a few days before the feast of the Nativity of Christ, leaving the community without a place to pray.

According to the website of the Volyn Diocese of the UOC, the parishioners of St. Nicholas Church in the village of Nychohivka (formerly Manevychi district) have already experienced one trial. In January 2019, they lost their main church, after which they set up a prayer room in one of the houses provided by a local resident. For almost seven years, the believers have been diligently restoring worship life in this temporary shelter: they installed heating and electricity and created the necessary conditions for prayer.

The parish priest, Archpriest Andriy Henalyuk, emphasizes that the current fire has deprived people of everything they have created with such difficulty. Now the community is once again homeless on the eve of one of the most important Orthodox holidays, Christmas.

To support the affected community in this difficult situation, Archpriest Andrey Genalyuk announced the details for donations. When transferring funds, please indicate the purpose — «for charity«.

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