In Dorotishche, UOC community prevents radicals from seizing church

The Holy Assumption Church in the village of Dorotishche. Photo: UOC

On August 10, 2019, in the village of Dorotishche of the Kovel district, Volyn region, the OCU and “Right Sector” activists made another attempt to seize the Church of the Assumption of the Theotokos, reports “1Kozak”.

OCU clerics, accompanied by their supporters and right-wing radicals, came to the UOC church with crowbars and a grinder, reporting the mining and calling the criminal police.

According to the believers, this was done to ensure that representatives of the criminal police, armed with machine guns, would cover up the raiding attack.

The believers also said that the initiator of the incident was a supporter of the OCU and the Kovel district head Andrei Broilo.

The faithful from Kovel and neighbouring villages came to the rescue of the Orthodox community, along with the police called by the community.

A detailed study by law enforcement officers of the documents showed that the UOC community had all the relevant documents to the temple, and the raiders had to withdraw.

We recall that on June 19, 2019, the UOC faithful of the village of Dorotishche of the Kovel district, Volyn region, gathered for prayer in the Holy Assumption Church, which the adherents of the new church structure claimed.

On June 13, 2019, OCU supporters made another attempt to seize the Holy Assumption Church in the village of Dorotishche. That day, two men intended to break the church doors with a grinder and a hammer, in the presence of more than 10 clerics of the OCU, people in camouflage and law enforcement officers. However, about 50 residents of the village came to the defense of their temple, while only 7 people supported the OCU activists in camouflage.

The first attempt to take over the temple in Dorotishche took place during the evening service on March 2, 2019. The “transfer” of the church to the jurisdiction of the new church structure was initiated by the chairman of the Kovel District Council Andrei Broilo.

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