UOC church damaged in Russian airstrike on Sumy

On the evening of July 26, 2026, the Church of St. John the Baptist of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was damaged in another Russian airstrike on Sumy, the press service of the Sumy Eparchy reports.

According to regional authorities, civilians were injured in the attack, while residential buildings, civilian infrastructure, and an Orthodox church sustained damage.

Archpriest Andriy Ovcharenko, rector of the Church of St. John the Baptist, said that the blast wave and shrapnel damaged both the church and other buildings within the church complex. Several wooden windows were blown out, panes in the original metal frames were shattered, and shrapnel marks were left on the walls.

The Church of St. John the Baptist is one of the oldest sacred sites in Sumy. The stone church was built in 1837 on the site of the former 17th-century Convent of St. John the Baptist. Designed in the late provincial Classicist style, the church is listed as a local architectural monument and is regarded as one of the defining landmarks of the historic Luka district.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the UOC cathedral in Sumy was also damaged in shelling.