In Ust-Putyla, police shown to use force against UOC parishioners

The police using force against parishioners in Ust-Putyla. Photo: UOJ

Parishioners of the Paraskeva community of the UOC in the Bukovynian village of Ust-Putyla shared with the UOJ footage of the police during the seizure of their church on May 21, 2025. At that time, we remind you, early in the morning, OCU clergy entered the territory, knocking down surveillance cameras with sticks, broke down the doors of the temple with angle grinders, and barricaded themselves inside.

The invaders were guarded by the police around the perimeter of the church, not allowing parishioners to enter their shrine.

The presented footage shows one of the police officers throwing an elderly altar server down from the high church porch, and then roughly grabbing a second parishioner. Noticing that he was being filmed by one of the parishioners, he knocked the phone out of her hands.

In another video, several police officers are seen dragging one of the believers away from the church.

As reported, on the night of May 22, when the police left the territory of the temple, parishioners expelled the raiders and served the Divine Liturgy. Inside, they found the "prayer kit" of the OCU: an angle grinder, a drill, a bolt cutter, a saw, pliers, and other tools typically used for breaking locks or cutting other metal structures. The raiders also left bottles of wine and other unidentified liquids. According to the parishioners, the raiders claimed that they had broken the church doors and entered inside "for prayer".

Also, the community published a video from surveillance cameras, showing how the invaders entered the territory of the temple.

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