Katerynivka church raided from UOC believers 10 years ago burned down

St. George’s Church in the Village of Katerynivka has burned down. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine

On 11 March 2025, St. George’s Church in the village of Katerynivka of the Kremenets District, Ternopil Region, burned down. The church was seized in 2015 by representatives of the UOC-KP with the support of radicals from the "Right Sector". According to the State Emergency Service (SES) of the Ternopil Region, efforts to save the church were unsuccessful.

"On 11 March at 08:58, the Emergency Service received a report of a fire in a church in the village of Katerynivka, Kremenets District. The fire quickly spread throughout the building. By the time the first units arrived, the estimated area of the fire was approximately 250 m²," the statement reads.

St. George’s Church, which was initially under the control of the UOC-KP and later the OCU, was burned to the ground. The fire in the wooden church was extinguished after two hours, but it completely destroyed the structure.

"Rescuers arrived promptly, but they were unable to save the shrine. This loss reminds us of the importance of adhering to fire safety rules to prevent such tragedies and preserve our sacred sites," SES added.

As reported by the UOJ, on 21 September 2015, on the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, representatives of the UOC-KP, with the support of the "Right Sector", raided St. George’s Church of the UOC in the village of Katerynivka. Radicals brutally beat the believers who stood up to defend the temple. After these events, the UOC community built and consecrated a new church in the village.

Five years after the tragic events, the editorial staff of the UOJ released the second film of “The Faithful” series, “Healing in Katerynivka”, the story about the life of the believers of the canonical Church who survived the bloody seizure of St. George’s Church in 2015.

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