Bilogorodka. Police and OCU raiders seized a UOC church.

UOC Church of the Archangel Michael

Address: Kyiv Region, the town of Bilohorodka, 37A Volodymyrska Street

On June 25, 2023, the UOC Archangel Michael Church was seized by OCU raiders. The activists acted with particular brutality, and their crime was covered up by police officers.

June 26, 2022 – Local authorities organized an illegal gathering of the territorial community at a stadium, where people who had no connection whatsoever to the church community voted to transfer the church to the OCU.

The meeting was personally conducted by the head of the Bilohorodka village council, Maksym Zuiev.

The church’s parishioners did not take part in the territorial community meeting of Bilohorodka, where the question of the UOC religious community’s affiliation was illegally put to a vote. The rector of the church, Priest Viacheslav Lazoryk, addressed the village residents; after his speech he hurried back to his parishioners to join the prayer.

Before the meeting, residents’ registration (propyska) was checked – so that only those who actually live in Bilohorodka could vote for the community’s transfer to the OCU.

“Of everyone who gathered at the stadium – and there were about 300 people there – I have seen only one in the church, and that was a very long time ago. All the people gathered there have nothing to do with the Church,” the priest said.

The then head of DESS, Olena Bohdan, speaking at the meeting about transferring the church community from the UOC to the OCU in Bilohorodka, reminded the residents of the village about the right to freedom of religion. Only believers who attend services, maintain the church, and participate in its life have the right to vote on transferring a religious community to another jurisdiction.

“A religious community is people who attend services in this church, donate to this church, do something that makes this church alive. If there is no religious community, the church is empty. Accordingly, today, under current legislation, the decision here must be made by those people who are parishioners, or benefactors, or otherwise participants in the religious life of this church,” Bohdan noted, and warned citizens about the consequences of an illegal “transfer” of the church by people who have nothing to do with the church community.

“Imagine a situation where a decision is made ON BEHALF of a religious community. In the end, this means that the church will either be empty, or closed, or we simply will not be able to continue religious life there,” emphasized the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience.

After Olena Bohdan’s speech, a group of people in military uniforms who introduced themselves as territorial defense aggressively moved toward the head of DESS and her staff. They demanded the officials’ documents in a rude, threatening manner.

While Bilohorodka residents at the stadium were trying to decide the fate of the church community, believers prayed near their church. Bishop Sylvester of Bilohorodka came to support them. Together with the rector, clergy, and parishioners of the church, the hierarch served a litia for fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilian residents in Russia’s war against Ukraine, and also a moleben for the health of Ukrainian fighters.

He also said that the initiator of the mass “transfers” of communities from the UOC to the OCU in the Bucha district was local deputy Mykhailo Tkach from the “European Solidarity” party. According to the authorities’ decision, meetings of village residents were to be held in every village council, during which parishes would change jurisdiction.

At the same time, in the community of the Archangel Michael Church, a meeting took place as early as May 29 – at that time, 216 people unanimously expressed their desire to remain within the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was recorded in the relevant minutes. However, the authorities did not take this seriously and organized their own meeting at the stadium.

According to the priest, OCU supporters planned to seize another UOC church as well.

“Despite the fact that in Bilohorodka there is an OCU church that stands half-empty, and they also have a plot of land overgrown with grass where there is a cross, they want to seize not only our Archangel Michael Church, but also the church under construction in honor of St. Nicholas,” Fr. Viacheslav noted.

As a result of the village residents’ vote, local authorities transferred two communities – the Archangel Michael and St. Nicholas parishes – from the UOC to the OCU.

January 12, 2023 – OCU supporters seized the upper church dedicated to the Archangel of God Michael and all the Bodiless Heavenly Powers in the village of Bilohorodka, Kyiv Region.

“They illegally re-registered the documents to an OCU local ‘priest’. As of today, on paper it is no longer our church. But we have organized round-the-clock watch,” parishioners said.

As stated in the official notice sent to the parish, as of January 12 “the details of the company RO St. Michael’s parish of the Kyiv Eparchy of the UOC of Bilohorodka village, Bucha district, Kyiv region” and its head have changed.”

A decision was made to seal the church until a court decision.

(Source: UOJ)

February 24, 2023 – A group of OCU raiders cut off the locks on St. Michael Church.

After the confrontation, the church was sealed again.

June 25, 2023, at around 6:00 a.m. – A group of OCU supporters came to the Church of the Archangel Michael, attempting to seize the lower church.

The raiders acted aggressively. In particular, OCU cleric Vasyl Chuprovskyi personally removed the church fence gate and threw it at one of the parishioners.

Police pushed UOC believers back and formed a corridor for the criminal group. OCU activists cut off the locks and broke into the church building.

Law enforcement officers not only failed to stop the criminals, but also roughly detained representatives of the church community.

After several hours of confrontation, UOC believers decided to serve the Divine Liturgy in the unfinished church.

Later, the defenders of the church whom the police had detained were released.

The community of the seized church continues to hold services in the unfinished UOC St. Nicholas Church.