Security officers beat and abduct UOC cathedral's altar server

Holy Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr. Photo: anga.ua

On January 14, 2026, in Volodymyr, unknown individuals who introduced themselves as law enforcement members beat and abducted an altar server of the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was stated in an address by Metropolitan Volodymyr of Volodymyr–Volynskyi and Kovel.

According to the hierarch, the attack took place near the church worker’s home. The unknown assailants acted demonstratively and used physical force.

“Such brutality toward a peaceful person who has devoted his life to serving God is a challenge to the whole society,” said the ruling hierarch of the Volodymyr–Volynskyi Eparchy.

He stressed that the Church “cannot remain silent when its faithful are beaten and abducted in broad daylight.”

“I call on you to act in accordance with the oath you gave to the Ukrainian people. I expect immediate intervention and the restoration of justice,” he appealed to representatives of the SBU and the police.

As the UOJ reported, the Dormition Cathedral in Volodymyr, taken away from the UOC, was placed by the authorities on the balance sheet of the OCU.

Read also

In Podgorica, multi-thousand procession held on city's patron saint day

Thousands of believers walked in a procession through the capital of Montenegro, honoring the memory of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Streaming.

Persecuted UOC parish in Zeleniv reads Great Canon

A Bukovynian Orthodox community, deprived of its church in 2024, conducts Great Lent services in an adapted facility.

Patriarch Bartholomew warns against unacceptable peace for Ukraine

The head of the Constantinople Church stated that to achieve peace in Ukraine, the leaders of nations must take the "narrow path of justice."

MinCulture opens Lavra's Near Caves only for groups and by reservation

The Ministry of Culture's statement says that "the opening of the Near Caves for believers is not only a long-awaited and outstanding event in church life but also a sign of the indestructibility of our faith".

Metropolitan Onuphry reads Great Canon at Intercession Convent of Kyiv

The Primate of the UOC led the Great Compline with the reading of the second part of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete at the capital's Intercesssion Convent.

OCU “hierarch” selling fake ID documents sent to pre-trial detention center

The Ivano-Frankivsk court has chosen a preventive measure for the OCU "bishop" suspected of issuing fictitious ordination certificates for the rank of deacon to evade mobilization.