Berezdiv. Police Helped OCU Raiders Seize a Church

Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (UOC)

Address: Khmelnytskyi Oblast, village of Berezdiv, 58 Bohdan Khmelnytskyi St.

The St. Demetrius Church of the UOC was violently seized by a group of OCU activists. Police officers assisted the raiders.

Law enforcement pushed Orthodox Christians away from the church and formed a corridor for the attackers.

On May 26, 2024, in the village of Berezdiv, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, an aggressive mob of OCU supporters seized the church in honor of Demetrius of Thessalonica.

The storming of the church lasted about an hour with the assistance of police.

A live broadcast from the scene was conducted by UOC parishioners, who at around 3:00 PM reported that OCU representatives were gathering at the church and called on the faithful to come and defend their shrine.

People stood on the threshold of the church in front of the door and attempted to prevent the desecration of the temple.

However, police officers pushed back the UOC faithful and surrounded the entrance to the church, allowing aggressive OCU activists to break down the door.

According to eyewitnesses, the process was led by the wife of the village elder. She knocked down the door with a crowbar and, together with another man, cut the locks off the church.

After the vandals managed to break through the church door, they entered the temple to the applause of the crowd.

A UOC cleric observed the entire process.

Eyewitnesses report that it was mainly elderly women who came to defend the church. The seizure of the shrine was carried out by men and young guys.

In early March, the religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Church of Demetrius of Thessalonica in the village of Berezdiv, led by priest Petro Yatsiuk, declared its loyalty to its Church and stated that the parish council, in accordance with the UOC governance charter, had not convened any assembly regarding a change of jurisdiction.

(Source: UOJ)