St. Demetrius Church damaged by shelling in Zolotyi Kolodiaz village

Church of St. Demetrius in Zolotyi Kolodiaz. Photo: TG channel of the Pokrovsk Vicariate

On June 30, 2025, in the village of Zolotyi Kolodiaz, Donetsk region, the Church of St. Demetrius of the Pokrovsk Vicariate (UOC) was damaged by shelling. Photos of the destruction were published on the Vicariate’s Telegram channel.

The explosion occurred very close to the church – a large crater is visible right at the entrance. The façade was badly damaged, the porch was destroyed, and load-bearing elements of the bell tower were partially ruined. Bricks, wooden debris, and fragments of munitions were scattered dozens of meters around. Part of the roof above the entrance collapsed, there are cracks in the façade wall, and traces of shrapnel and blast damage are evident.

It is worth noting that the Church of St. Demetrius in Zolotyi Kolodiaz is one of the few still operating in the region despite regular shelling.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Ternovate, a monastery’s choir director was killed due to shelling.

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