Media show abandoned churches in Lviv region falling into ruin

Church of Saint Magdalene in the village of Volkiv, Lviv region. Photo: Screenshot from Taras Havryk's video

Ukrainian media and social networks have published footage of abandoned churches in Lviv region that are deteriorating due to the lack of state care. The author of the video, blogger Taras Havryk, posted a report on his YouTube channel on January 25, 2026.

The video shows religious buildings in an emergency condition – with collapsed roofs, crumbling masonry, ruined ceilings, and the visible traces of long years of neglect. The author stresses that this is not a handful of isolated cases, but a large-scale problem – the loss of sacred heritage.

“This is not mysticism and not legends – it is documentary evidence of what is happening to Ukraine’s cultural and spiritual heritage,” the video description says.

According to the author, filming took place in the villages of Rakivka, Pidtemne, Kuhayiv, Volkiv, Vybranivka, Sokolivka, and other localities in Lviv region. The camera captured abandoned Roman Catholic churches, chapels, fortified churches, as well as relics and elements of interior decoration that may disappear in the coming years.

Although the video is devoted to Lviv region, a similar situation is typical of other regions of the country as well. Many of the churches shown have the status of architectural monuments, yet in practice they are left without restoration, security, or sustained attention. The blogger calls on his followers to share information about abandoned shrines not only in Lviv region, but in other parts of Ukraine as well.

As the UOJ previously reported, the Lviv Regional Military Administration has been unable to find sponsors for the restoration of the synagogue in Brody.

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