Eyewitnesses: OCU paid militants UAH 1,000 each for seizing Chernivtsi cathedral
OCU militants receiving instructions from a coordinator on UOC cathedral grounds. Photo: UOJ
Ivan Khmelevskyi, a parishioner of the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Chernivtsi, told Tetiana Tsaruk in an interview that the OCU militants who seized the church for several hours on June 17, 2025, were each paid 1,000 hryvnias for the job.
According to him, when parishioners managed to enter the church grounds, they detained one of the militants, who admitted that he and his colleagues were “each paid 1,000 hryvnias for all this.”
Khmelevskyi said the coordinators gave the militants the task of seizing the cathedral and holding it until OCU representatives arrived.
The interview also showed footage of parishioners speaking with Roman Hryshchuk Jr., the son of a notorious Bukovyna raider. Hryshchuk admitted having received payment in dollars.
“Actually, the guys paid me 3,000 bucks. You could earn this way too,” Hryshchuk Jr. said, asking those present “not to interfere with him making money.”
Earlier, the UOJ reported that during the seizure of the cathedral in Chernivtsi, OCU militants turned the altar into a toilet.
Read also
Trump: "Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon"
Donald Trump blamed uncontrolled immigration for street protests in France, warning that Paris would soon become a Muslim city.
Dumenko: Jerusalem Church is wrong to refuse communion with us
Dumenko claimed that the OCU, like the Apostle Paul, is standing up against the errors of the Jerusalem Church and other Local Churches.
Ukrainian parliament registers bill to establish Bible Day
Lawmakers have proposed establishing Bible Day to strengthen moral values and preserve the country’s spiritual heritage.
Dumenko: Pochaiv will be ours, and Sviatohirsk Lavra is no Lavra
The OCU head called Pochaiv Lavra the Russian Orthodox Church’s “last stronghold,” predicted that circumstances would eventually allow its transfer, and rejected Sviatohirsk Monastery’s status as a lavra.
Metropolitan Victor offers condolences to families of shelling victims
The ruling hierarch of the Khmelnytskyi Eparchy expressed condolences to the families of those killed in the Russian attack on Khmelnytskyi on October 19.
Pope urges Zelensky to ensure safe evacuation from Oleshky
During a phone call, the pontiff raised concerns about the dire situation in the Kherson region town and discussed humanitarian aid for its residents.