Parishioners chanting at seized church in Ust-Putyla: We are against OCU
The police do not allow UOC parishioners in Ust-Putyla to enter the church. Photo: UOJ
On the day of the Apostle John the Theologian, May 21, 2025, militants of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) seized the St. Paraskeva Church of the UOC in the village of Ust-Putyla in Bukovyna. In a video received from the scene, believers demand that the police allow them into their native church.
Parishioners are chanting: «We are against the OCU!»
They claim that the shrine was seized by people who came from the Ivano-Frankivsk region, under the leadership of the chaplain of the OCU, Hryshchuk.
As reported by the UOJ, the invaders have closed themselves off inside the Orthodox shrine while the police guard them from the parishioners. Those believers who try to enter their shrine are roughly dragged out of the church territory by the police.
Read also
In Pasika, Transcarpathia, priest defects to OCU while community remains in UOC
In the village of Paseka in Transcarpathia, believers discussed the future fate of their church.
In Sumy, Presentation Church of UOC damaged by shelling
In the Sumy Eparchy, the walls and fence of the Presentation Church were damaged as a result of shelling, but divine services continue.
Ukraine loses almost 98% of cases at European Court of Human Rights
According to the ECtHR’s 2025 report, nearly all complaints against Ukraine end with findings of human rights violations.
UOC Chancellor on Kyiv Council decision targeting UOC: Obvious lawlessness
Metropolitan Anthony said the document adopted by the Kyiv Regional Council violates the Constitution, interferes with freedom of religion, and exceeds the body’s authority.
In Finland, Constantinopolitan Church hierarch convicted of fraud
A Finnish court found the former archbishop of the Constantinople Patriarchate guilty of manipulating state subsidies and committing financial violations.
His Beatitude: Pure faith is the only path to soul salvation
On the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, the Primate of the UOC urged the faithful not to tailor faith to human reasoning and passions, and reminded them of the significance of the Ecumenical Councils.