Boiarka, Archangel Michael Church of the UOC
Archangel Michael Church of the UOC
Address: Kyiv Region, the city of Boiarka, 4 Ivana Franka Street
On May 6, 2023, a group of OCU clerics, the mayor of Boiarka Oleksandr Zarubin, and a volunteer formation subordinate to him seized the historic Archangel Michael Church of the UOC.
Attempts to seize the church began on February 25, 2023. A group of OCU activists held their own meeting, at which they decided to take the church away from the believers of the UOC.
According to representatives of the parish community, the activists’ meeting was financed and personally organized by the mayor of Boiarka, Oleksandr Zarubin.
OCU clerics who had previously participated in the seizure of the Dormition Church of the UOC in the village of Tarasivka spoke at the meeting.
The mayor of Boiarka brought in a crowd by bus; however, despite all administrative efforts, there were about twice as many UOC believers present.
On the eve of the meeting, provocative billboards and leaflets began appearing in the city. They called on local residents to attend the meeting and vote against the “Russian world” and the “influence of Russian Orthodoxy” on the Boiarka territorial community.
In April 2023, a court obliged the police to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations regarding a criminal offense committed by activists during the “vote” to transfer the Archangel Michael Church of the UOC to the OCU in Boiarka, Kyiv Region.
According to parishioners, believers twice filed complaints with the police regarding the illegal “meeting” of the raiders, but law enforcement authorities did not respond in any way.
“We filed a complaint with the police even before this ‘meeting’ took place. In it, we described that unknown persons were initiating illegal meetings, since under our Statute, meetings must be initiated by the rector of the church and members of the parish council. <…> The police did not take this into account. After this ‘meeting’ took place, we again filed a complaint with the police stating that it posed a threat of a raider seizure. The police also did not respond. Therefore, we appealed to the court so that it would oblige the opening of criminal proceedings. The court issued a positive ruling, ordered the police to enter the case number into the Unified Register and to open a pre-trial investigation. The court saw a criminal component in this process and instructed the police to investigate,” members of the Archangel Michael parish reported.
On May 6, 2023, representatives of the local volunteer territorial defense unit broke through the fence and stormed the church grounds. The attackers assaulted the believers and clergy of the church.
An ambulance was called for the rector of the church, Archpriest Volodymyr.
Police officers and people in military uniform closed the church gate and did not allow anyone onto the church grounds. Meanwhile, the raiders turned on a generator, used an angle grinder, and cut down the church doors. Forceful provocations were carried out by the attackers.
A lawyer representing the UOC parish community was present at the scene but was not allowed to enter.
Tear gas was used against Orthodox Christians. The attackers were commanded by the mayor and the OCU dean in Boiarka, Vasyl Lilo.
The police fully assisted the attackers.
The seized church was taken over by OCU cleric Vasyl Lilo.
To this day, none of the participants in the criminal attack has been held accountable.
КУ ст. 35 (свобода вероисповедания) · ЕСПЧ ст. 9 · Нормы ООН