OCU raiders seal UOC church in Novi Vorobyi after rector’s mobilization
On May 30, unidentified persons blocked believers’ access to the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos following the forced mobilization of its rector, a hieromonk.
On May 30, 2026, another seizure of a UOC church took place, this time in the village of Novi Vorobyi in Zhytomyr Region: unidentified persons sealed the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos and blocked parishioners from entering it. This was reported by the Dozor Telegram channel.
The raiders announced plans to hold a fictitious parish meeting in order to re-register the community under the OCU. UOC parishioners were forbidden to attend their own church. The date of these meetings has not yet been specified. Notably, the seizure occurred shortly after the mobilization of the rector, Hieromonk Ilia.
As the UOJ reported, police in Zhytomyr Region detained a UOC monk and handed him over to the TRC. According to the source, the seizure in Novi Vorobyi became possible after officers of the territorial recruitment center forcibly mobilized the rector, Hieromonk Ilia. His absence was used to illegally seal the church.
