Criminal case opened against OCU raiders in Stadnyky village

On July 26, 2022, the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine initiated criminal proceedings against representatives of the OCU, who incited interfaith hatred and organized the seizure of the UOC Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in the village of Stadnyky in the Ostroh Deanery, as reported on the website of the Rivne Eparchy.

The proceedings were opened on several episodes: forgery of documents and their use, the incitement of religious hatred, and an attempted seizure of a temple.

“Thanks to the coordinated actions of law enforcement agencies, it was possible to stop the attempts of OCU supporters to seize the church in the village of Stadnyky. In addition, the raiders forged documents for the temple, for which they will be held criminally liable,” commented Raisa Dmitrenko, a lawyer for the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC and human rights activist. She stressed that for the commission of unlawful acts, everyone will be held accountable before the law.

Back in 2019, supporters of the OCU re-registered the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary to their own structure, using fake documents. From the beginning of March 2022, OCU raiders tried to seize the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, and on May 15 the temple was sealed following a fight organized by the schismatics. At present, the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Stadnyky is sealed, and the UOC community holds services near the church every Sunday. “The newly created community of the OCU does not come to pray either on the territory of the temple or on the territory of the village,” says the message on the Rivne Eparchy’s website.

As earlier reported, in the Rivne Eparchy a criminal case was initiated against the OCU on the seizure of the church in Khoriv.

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