Media publish testimony of UOC believer shot at by militant in Cherkasy

A militant of the OCU shot at a female parishioner of the UOC cathedral in Cherkasy. Photo: a screenshot from the YouTube video

After the seizure of the Archangel Michael Cathedral of the UOC in Cherkasy by representatives of the OCU on October 17, details of this bloody event and testimonies of UOC believers continue to appear in the media. The YouTube channel "Virnyi" published an interview with a parishioner of the cathedral, Maria Pryshchepa.

"Violence, tear gas, beatings, sticks... and weapons. The militants used everything against Orthodox Christians," the Telegram channel "Dozor" commented on the video. "Dozens of injured parishioners of the cathedral who came to protect their shrine from the raiders. Broken bones, knocked out jaws, bruises, eye injuries – all these are the consequences of the actions of OCU activists."

Journalists recalled the terrible footage of a militant waving a pistol in the cathedral.

"The mercenary, who the Cherkasy OCU would later call 'their believer', used weapons against Christians. Today we are publishing the testimony of a parishioner of the cathedral, Maria Pryshchepa, who was shot at by the militant," the report says.

The believer says that the radical shot her right in the face. The woman's eye was saved only by her glasses, which redirected the ball a centimeter higher.

Maria Pryshchepa said that at first she felt pain from the blow.

"My head went numb, and I started to fall. Someone supported me from behind, I later found out that this was a sister of mercy," she says.

Maria, not quite conscious, ran out into the street and realized that she was bleeding. The woman says that the sister of mercy bandaged her since doctors were not allowed into the cathedral. The police stood aside inactive at that time.

The believer notes that the ambulance worker said he would take her to the regional hospital because, as she understood, he knew that the local hospital would not help.

“Only in the hospital did I understand that I had been shot. It was not a wound from a blow, but a round one – from a gunshot. The doctor on duty said that it was imperative to stitch it up,” she explained.

The victim of the raiders called the police to the hospital to record the injury. They accepted her statement. However, according to her information, the investigation was never launched.

As the UOJ wrote, the Internet showed an OCU member, tearing away banners and assaulting people in Cherkasy.

Earlier, the OCU assured the UN that the cathedral in Cherkasy was stormed by UOC believers.

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