Community in Krasyliv holds prayer vigil outside their seized church

Parishioners of the Resurrection community in Krasyliv outside their seized church. Photo: UOJ

On the morning of May 18, 2025, parishioners of the Resurrection community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in Krasyliv, Khmelnytskyi region, gathered for prayer on the roadside near the fence of their seized church, according to Pershyi Kozatskyi. On this Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, several dozen faithful were forced to pray outdoors, under the open sky.

On the morning of May 15, OCU militants, with police support, broke the church locks, assaulted the priest, and seized the sanctuary. Following the takeover, police blocked the church doors and access to the grounds. Parishioners are now being denied entry to their own church.

It is worth noting that representatives of the OCU had been attempting to seize the Resurrection Church in Krasyliv for the past two years. In 2023 alone, there were three such attempts. In April 2023, authorities organized an illegal gathering of unidentified individuals outside the church fence. In response, the faithful held their own lawful assembly, reaffirmed their allegiance to the UOC, and defended their church, refusing to let the raiders in.

In 2023, Krasyliv Mayor Ostrovska publicly admitted on television that there had been no legal transfer of the Resurrection community to the OCU. According to her, the priest and parishioners do not wish to join the OCU: "Unfortunately, the clergy and parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church truly do not want to voluntarily transfer to the OCU. Although I’ve met with the priest and tried to persuade him on multiple occasions, unfortunately, there is no voluntary transition.”

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