OIDAC Europe report includes attack on Sviatohirsk Lavra

Church property from the skete in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in the village of Bohorodychne. Photo: UOJ

In January 2026, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) published a report on anti-Christian hate crimes that includes a reference to an attack on the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. OIDAC Europe reported this.

OIDAC Europe is an international non-governmental organization headquartered in Vienna (Austria) that has systematically monitored violations of Christians’ religious freedom in Europe since 2010. Its database contains more than 6,000 documented cases.

The OIDAC Europe report states: “In Ukraine, the Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra was targeted by a group of individuals in an incident involving vandalism, desecration, and theft.”

As the UOJ previously reported, on the night of January 24–25, 2026, unknown assailants robbed a skete of the Sviatohirsk Lavra dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow” in the village of Bohorodychne. The perpetrators forced open the gates and the church doors, stole eight bells, and took church items, including Gospels, candleholders, vigil lamps, and other sacred objects.

Later, police officers found the stolen property in a cache near the church and returned it to the monastery. After the necessary procedural steps were completed, the bells and church items were handed over to the Lavra brotherhood.

OIDAC Europe has previously drawn attention to the situation surrounding the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In the organization’s annual 2025 report, a separate section focused on restrictions on the UOC’s religious freedom and on criticism from international human-rights bodies regarding pressure on the Church in Ukraine. The document noted that legislative initiatives and actions by the authorities affecting religious organizations have raised concerns among international human-rights institutions and experts on freedom of religion.

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