Supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) seized the Church of St. Paraskeva in Netishyn, Khmelnitsky region. This was announced on July 29 by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in its Telegram channel.

The capture took place on July 27 after the evening service on the eve of the day of memory of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.

“During the raider actions, about 50 strong men pushed the Orthodox believers out of their church. Such actions were supported by the police who arrived at the scene, ”the message says.

It is noted that on the eve of the seizure, the religious community of the temple was re-registered based on the decision of the meeting of the territorial society, which was held on April 9.

Earlier, on July 9, supporters of the OCU also seized the cathedral in honor of the icon of the Mother of God «The Burning Bush» of the UOC. It was reported that the raider actions were accompanied by blasphemous actions and statements containing encroachments on the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Political scientist Yury Svetov, in a conversation on July 1, emphasized that Kyiv has long been fighting against the unity of the Orthodox Church. According to him, the separation of the church of the country from the Moscow Patriarchate is a symbol of this confrontation.

On June 26, the Ukrainian authorities demanded that the canonical UOC officially declare its break with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). They demanded that the UOC prepare statements on withdrawal from the episcopate, the Synod, synodal institutions and officially notify the local Orthodox churches of this decision.