In Ust-Putyla, OCU militants seize UOC church with police support

Police block parishioners from entering the church in Ust-Putyla. Photo: UOJ

On the morning of May 21, 2025, in the Bukovinian village of Ust-Putyla, OCU militants led by Roman Hryshchuk seized the UOC Church of St. Paraskeva on the feast day of the Apostle John the Theologian, according to members of the community who spoke to the UOJ.

Faithful parishioners who came for the Divine Liturgy were unable to enter their church. The attackers locked themselves inside, while police guarded the building against its own congregation. Parishioners who attempted to access their holy site were forcibly dragged away by police from the church grounds.

“Whose police is this? Are they really with the people? The police are preventing the faithful from praying in their own church. Does that mean we are not citizens of Ukraine?” the believers asked ironically.

Parishioners report that the seizure is being coordinated by Petro Trey, a former forestry director. Among the militants occupying the church are individuals brought in from neighboring villages as well as outsiders from the Ivano-Frankivsk region, whom locals refer to as “Hryshchuk’s chapel.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that 726 parishioners in Ust-Putyla had voted to remain faithful to the UOC.

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