Shevchenkove. OCU raiders seized the church while police stood by

Church of the Archangel Michael of the UOC

Address: Kyiv Oblast, Shevchenkove village, Lenin Street, 1

The St. Michael's Church of the UOC was seized by raiders from the OCU with the full connivance of the police.

On May 19, 2024, OCU raiders organized an illegal meeting of the local community, at which they decided to "transfer" the church to the OCU.

Later, OCU representatives attempted to sue for the church's ownership, but were unsuccessful.

However, its re-registration allowed the property transfer process to continue. OCU Metropolitan Alexander Drabinko ordered the immediate seizure of the keys and property from the believers.

(Source: UOJ)

On the morning of January 21, 2025, a group of OCU representatives arrived at the Archangel Michael Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Shevchenkove, Kyiv Oblast.

The group was escorted by police.

The criminals cut the locks on the church doors.

A video filmed by the UOC community captured moments of conversations with OCU activists, revealing that the men in camouflage had come to "eradicate the Russian world."

The man who was drilling the lock stated that "he believes in God," as he wasn't touching the church, but was trying to preserve the church door by breaking the lock. OCU members asked the church community to refrain from filming and leave. The police merely observed the raid.