UOC priest injured in drone attack in Donetsk region
The rector of a church in the village of Vyrivka sustained head injuries when a drone struck his car.
On April 26, 2026, in the Pokrovsk Vicariate, a drone attacked the car of Archpriest Ilya Rybak, rector of the Church of the “Three-Handed” Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Vyrivka. The UOC Information Center reported that the priest came under attack while returning from the Liturgy in the village of Bilozerka, where he had been temporarily substituting for another cleric.
According to the injured priest, the fact that the car was loaded with belongings, along with his timely jump from the vehicle, saved him from death. Doctors diagnosed Father Ilya with a closed head injury and a concussion.
Specialists also removed pieces of plastic from a wound on the back of his head and treated the damaged skin. The UOC cleric is currently asking the faithful for prayers and support.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that a cleric of the Dnipropetrovsk Eparchy had died from wounds sustained in shelling.
