In Transcarpathian Luh, people in camouflage break doors and seize church

An employee of a security firm does not let parishioners to their temple. Photo: a screenshot of Fr Volodymyr Lehach’s FB page

Early in the morning of 11 November 2023, in the village of Luh, Rakhiv district, Transcarpathia, unknown people in camouflage with chevrons of the private security firm Armor, with the support of the police and military, cut the locks and seized the Holy Spirit Church of the UOC," parishioners of the church told the UOJ.

A video broadcast of the event was published on the Facebook page of the temple's rector, Fr. Volodymyr Lehach.

The invaders closed the gate and blocked the entrance to the territory for parishioners. As was announced, they were making an "inventory of property" of the UOC community. One of the parishioners, who had managed to get into the temple and was filming, was attacked and pushed outside the temple territory, her phone knocked out.

On 30 July 2023, a group of villagers, among whom were representatives of the Uniates but no members of the church community, held an illegal "meeting" to transfer the temple to the OCU.

At the same time, the Holy Spirit Church community, at the parish meeting held on 23 July, voted unanimously to remain within the UOC. The believers recorded their decision in the minutes and reported it in writing to the head of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration and the director of the Department of Culture of the RSA. The community has a fixed membership.

On 2 September 2023, several dozen people led by the "priest" of the OCU Ruslan Kocherzhuk attempted to break into the temple. The parishioners managed to defend their temple.

The Holy Spirit Church was built in 2008 by the efforts of the temple community.

Read also