В ПЦУ заявили, что уничтожат фрески и росписи в захваченном храме ОдессыThe OCU stated that they will destroy the frescoes and paintings in the seized church in Odessa
The Odessa diocese of the OCU announced plans to destroy frescoes depicting Russian saints in a seized church in Odessa.
The Odessa diocese of the OCU stated that the seizure of the UOC's Church of Alexander Nevsky is "an act of restoring historical justice," since its rector, Fr. Viktor Gradomsky, has been listed on "Myrotvorets" and Zelensky stripped him of his citizenship. The OCU statement also indicated that the murals in the church will be destroyed.
"The frescoes and murals depicting Russian historical figures who have no relation to the saints of universal Orthodoxy will be replaced in accordance with Orthodox canonical tradition and the requirements of Ukrainian reality," the statement reads. The authors of the statement did not specify which frescoes exactly "have no relation to the saints of universal Orthodoxy."
The OCU paid particular attention to the image of the holy right-believing Prince Alexander Nevsky, in whose honor the church was consecrated. Within the structure of Dumenko, the veneration of the saint next to a Ukrainian medical institution is considered "unacceptable."
The OCU intends to reconsecrate the building in honor of the Venerable Agapitus of the Caves, and any evidence of the forcible seizure of the shrine was described by the OCU as "deliberate manipulation" and "provocation."
As a reminder, on June 23, 2026, representatives of the OCU with the support of employees of the security agency "Samson" forcibly seized the UOC's Alexander Nevsky Church located on the territory of a military hospital in Odessa. During the assault, the raiders beat the secretary of the Odessa diocese and parishioners, and also expelled the clergy of the canonical Church from the shrine.
The Odessa diocese of the UOC officially refuted the OCU's claims of a "voluntary transfer" of the community, declaring the documents on the change of jurisdiction to be forged and describing the actions of the raiders as raiding.
As the UOJ reported, Ostapenko told whether the fresco of Seraphim of Sarov in the Lavra would be painted over.
