The police banned the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) from holding a religious procession, citing martial law. This was announced on May 27 by the Union of Orthodox Journalists.

“The police drew up administrative protocols against the organizer and co-organizers of the religious procession to the Banchen Monastery. The police stressed that religious processions on the territory of Ukraine during the period of martial law are prohibited,” the message says.

The procession tried to organize the Chernivtsi-Bukovina diocese of the UOC. The Ascension Banchensky Monastery is located in the village of Bancheny in the Chernivtsi region in western Ukraine.

In connection with the incident, the police announced suspicion of Metropolitan Longin of Banchen.

Earlier, on May 20, supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) illegally seized St. Elias Church of the UOC in the village of Borochich, Volyn region. The parishioners of the church did not take part in the meeting, at which the decision to transfer to the jurisdiction of the OCU was allegedly agreed upon.

In May, raider seizures of churches in Ukraine resumed. So, on May 7, there was an attempt to capture the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Mitintsy, Khmelnitsky region. The raiders broke the lock on the gate and broke into the territory of the temple, where at that moment the believers of the canonical UOC were praying. One of the attackers with a knife ran up to the child who was ringing the bell and cut the cord.

On the same day, the Union of Orthodox Journalists announced the capture of St. Michael’s Church in the city of Boyarka, Kyiv region, by schismatics. After that, the parishioners of the UOC had to pray in the open air.