Kharkiv hierarch offers condolences to victims of Merefa shelling
Shelling of the city of Merefa. Photo: UOC Information Center on Facebook
On May 4, 2026, Metropolitan Onufriy of Kharkiv and Bohodukhiv addressed the clergy and faithful of the eparchy following the tragedy in the city of Merefa, the UOC Information Center reported.
On the morning of May 4, a strike hit a civilian infrastructure facility, killing six people. Five residents died at the scene of the shelling, while a 68-year-old man later died in hospital. The number of injured also rose to 31, including teenagers and a two-year-old child.
The hierarch said the tragedy once again reveals the terrible reality of war, which brings irreparable losses and suffering.
The archpastor offered prayers for the repose of the newly departed servants of God and expressed his deep support for their families, asking the Lord to strengthen them in their grief. Metropolitan Onufriy also appealed to his flock to intensify their common prayer for peace.
Earlier, UOJ reported that Metropolitan Irinei expressed condolences to those affected by the shelling of Dnipro.
Read also
4th-year students tonsured as readers at Pochaiv Seminary
Metropolitan Sergiy and Archbishop Job performed the tonsure of readers on the feast of the Beheading of John the Baptist.
Chisinau Airport restricts access due to influx of Hasidic pilgrims
Chisinau Airport administration has established special rules due to the transit of Hasidic pilgrims to Ukraine.
SBU reports suspicion against ROC Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov)
The SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office charged the ROC hierarch under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
UCCRO briefs German delegation on persecution in occupied territories
UCCRO members discussed cooperation with the German delegation from Baden-Württemberg.
DESS congratulates Ukraine’s Jewish community on Rosh Hashanah
DESS emphasized the importance of the Jewish community in Ukraine preserving its own identity.
Phanar Archon on Ukraine: No church should be seized by force
One of the Phanar's Archons condemned the seizures of UOC churches, but at the same time accused Metropolitan Theodosiy of hypocrisy, saying that Ukraine is “a daughter of Constantinople, not Moscow’s ecclesiastical mistress.”