In Verkhni Stanivtsi, OCU raiders leave behind a ransacked altar

The altar of St. Nicholas Church after the OCU takeover. Photo: Faithful of the Chernivtsi–Bukovyna Eparchy of the UOC

The rector of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church's St. Nicholas Church in the Bukovynian village of Verkhni Stanivtsi shared a video showing the state of the altar and the sacristy room after they were occupied during an attempted seizure by clergy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The video was published by the Facebook group Faithful of the Chernivtsi–Bukovyna Eparchy of the UOC.

“Look at what these militants did, led by the so-called priest Roman Hryshchuk,” the priest says in the video. “See what they did to the altar – the Holy of Holies – everything is wrecked. Lord, grant them understanding and forgive their sins.”

The footage shows priestly vestments strewn across the altar area, while the sacristy has its cabinets emptied onto the floor, and some of the furniture appears broken. Inside the church, benches have been overturned to form a kind of barricade.

The intruders also left behind a toolbox filled with break-in equipment, including an angle grinder, a drill, a crowbar, hammers, and screwdrivers. The faithful responded with irony, addressing Hryshchuk and his accomplices: “Gentlemen, come back and collect your prayer books and Gospels – you’ll be needing them to preach your faith! To bring your so-called good news to the villages of Bukovyna. The box, sticks, and rebar are lying at the church. You already know how to get here.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the infamous OCU cleric Roman Hryshchuk was spotted among those involved in the seizure of St. Nicholas Church in Verkhni Stanivtsi.

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