Provocateur chased out of UOC cathedral in Chernivtsi with a broom

Oleksandr Brodetsky. Photo: Suspilne

On July 21, 2025, several religious news outlets reported that “religious scholar Brodetsky was attacked at the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC in Chernivtsi.”

Brodetsky himself posted a video on Facebook showing a woman with a broom chasing him off the cathedral grounds. According to his account, he had attempted to photograph certain materials in the church that allegedly contained “prayers for Russian metropolitans.”

“I felt obligated to inform the public about it,” Brodetsky stated in the video.

However, it is known that photography and video recording inside the cathedral are strictly prohibited without a blessing.

It is likely that Brodetsky’s disregard for this rule angered parishioners and cathedral staff. In the video, a man holding candles can be heard asking Brodetsky to leave, noting that he is not a member of the parish.

Brodetsky called the police and stated that he regarded the incident as a criminal offense. He did not report how the situation was ultimately resolved.

As previously reported by the UOJ, a priest who had been assaulted gave details of an attack by OCU militants in Chernivtsi.

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