During church raid in Verkhni Stanivtsi, police officer strikes parishioner
Police officer caught at the moment of the blow. Photo: UOJ
On April 12, 2025, during the seizure of the UOC’s St. Nicholas Church in the village of Verkhni Stanivtsi, Bukovyna, a police officer struck a female parishioner of the church on the head. The video was posted on Facebook by a local soldier from Stanivtsi, Ivan Mykhailyuk. According to him, the woman was his mother.
“Tough guy – are you ready to do to me what you did to my mom? I’m waiting for you to message me. Or are you only capable of that with women?” the soldier wrote, asking followers to help identify the officer.
The video shows the police officer not only hitting the woman, but also shouting at her that she would “die.”
Earlier, the UOJ reported that footage had surfaced showing police assisting raiders during the church takeover in Verkhni Stanivtsi.
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