In Bukovyna, OCU supporters seize UOC church in the village of Panka

Raiders near the UOC church in the village of Panka. Photo: Screenshot from Facebook.com/MaksimOiOVita

On April 5, 2025, in the village of Panka, Chernivtsi region, supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), acting against the will of the parishioners, carried out a forcible takeover of the UOC church dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki.

On February 23, 2024, the religious community of Panka held a general meeting, which was attended by 595 parishioners. All of them unanimously confirmed their allegiance to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the primacy of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.

The protocols of this meeting were officially submitted to the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration.

At the time the community made its decision to remain with the UOC, the village already had another church – the OCU’s Church of the Dormition – where members of that denomination had the opportunity to freely practice their faith.

It is also worth noting that a group of foreign journalists closely followed the events in Bukovyna in February. They documented what was happening and were able to verify the legality and transparency of the processes on the part of the UOC.

Despite all of this, on April 5, 2025, OCU representatives, backed by raiders with no ties to the village or the UOC religious community, seized the Church of St. Demetrius. As a result, the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church lost access to their rightful place of worship.

This incident raises serious concerns, especially considering that Bukovina is a traditionally Orthodox region, where the overwhelming majority of believers belong to the UOC. Despite ongoing claims of “voluntary transfers,” the facts point to a different reality – systematic violations of the rights of UOC religious communities are taking place.

The parishioners of St. Demetrius Church are calling on state authorities not to ignore the situation and to uphold the rule of law and the constitutional right to freedom of religion.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a Cherkasy official labeled UOC believers as enemies and called for the seizure of their churches.

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