Zabolottia. The Seizure of the Holy Prophet Elijah Church of the UOC, Chernivtsi Region, by OCU Militants and Police

Address: Zabolottya, Chernivtsi Oblast, 59045

On May 30, 2025, an OCU raider group broke into the grounds of the Holy Prophet Elijah Church of the UOC. OCU clergy accompanying them assaulted the faithful.

The criminal group broke down the door and burst into the sanctuary. Police provided de facto force support to the raiders.

Law enforcement officers lined up around the church and prevented Orthodox Christians from entering.

The police actually provided the raiders with access to the church.
On May 30, 2025, clerics and activists of the OCU, supported by the police, broke into the territory of the St. Elias Church of the UOC in the village of Zabolottia in Bukovyna and stormed the temple. This was reported to the UOJ by the faithful.

Pushing and beating the parishioners, the raiders broke the door and burst into the shrine. At this time, police representatives stood as a wall on the porch, covering the militants breaking the doors.

After the seizure, law enforcers lined up around the church and did not allow Orthodox Christians in.

The parishioners of the church gathered near their church praying.

The chaplain of the OCU, Roman Hryshchuk, came to the seized Orthodox sanctuary. The faithful chased him away, asking: «Why did you come?»

Reports from the scene indicate that mats and bags of food were brought into the church. Some representatives of the OCU dispersed, while some of the raiders, including people in military uniforms, are planning to spend the night in the Orthodox shrine.

«Priest» Petro Andriychuk, who participated in the church seizure of the church, kicked a female parishioner during a dispute.

The cleric arrived at the raider seizure from Storozhynets.
The rector of the St. Michael parish in Storozhynets, "priest" Petro Andriychuk, who participated in the seizure of the St. Elijah church of the UOC in the village of Zabolottia, kicked a female parishioner during an argument. Believers provided the UOJ with a video capturing this moment.

Petro Andriychuk was actively arguing with women on the territory of the Orthodox shrine, and then, in a fit of anger, kicked one of the believers. Twice.

In this video, one of the OCU militants attacks a church parishioner with many children, whose son went missing at the front:

"All 15 children of this courageous UOC believer are parishioners of this church. The attack on him is not the only atrocity the OCU raiders have dared to commit.

According to reports from the scene, OCU cleric Petro Andreychuk, who beat women with an iron bar, is threatening the believer's wife, Kateryna Gavrilyuk.

The monster promised the woman that her children would be taken away because they are parishioners of the UOC", - the DOZOR channel reports.

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In the second video, which was published on the Telegram channel «Dozor», activists of Epifaniy Dumenko are breaking the church doors. The police surrounded them, protecting them and allowing lawlessness.

According to eyewitnesses, they broke the locks for about half an hour.

«Breaking the church locks took place under the singing of the national anthem, with which Epifaniy's raiders tried to drown out the words of prayer. The prayers of dozens of UOC parishioners who came to defend their shrine», - comments "Dozor".

On June 1, 2025, the day after the church was seized, the rector held an open-air service for his parishioners. Father Nikolai, meanwhile, was in pain from beatings by OCU militants. He held the liturgy to encourage Christians in their faith after the brutal raid and the police's refusal to protect their right to prayer.

On August 1, 2025, the eve of the feast of the Prophet Elijah, the UOC parish in the village of Zabolottia in Bukovina held a solemn service in a tent. The robbers were unable to break the faith of the Orthodox Christians.