During seizure of Chernivtsi cathedral, OCU militants steal UAH 60,000

OCU militants "taking" the church cash in the seized cathedral. Photo: UOJ

On June 17, 2025, during an attempted seizure the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC in Chernivtsi, militants of the OCU stole more than 60,000 hryvnias belonging to the church community. This was reported to the UOJ by sources in the parish.

Footage from surveillance cameras shows that after the bandits beat and expelled the UOC clergy from the temple, they began to break into the doors of the church shop and auxiliary rooms of the cathedral. The church cash was stored in one of them. The footage shows how the "prayer warriors" finally break the locks and burst into the room after attempting to kick down the doors and break them with a crowbar.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that during the seizure, OCU militants brutally beat Father Roman, who was hospitalized with severe head injuries, broken ribs, and suspected internal organ damage. The OCU "prayer warriors" also brutally beat Father Vitaliy Honcharuk. He suffered a broken nose and a concussion. Inside the cathedral, the bandits beat Deacon Dmytro Lakusta.

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