OCU сlerics break into UOC church grounds in Chernivtsi for one-minute video

Photo: OCU intruders approaching the UOC church for a “moleben” / Facebook, Hryshchuk

On June 17, 2025, Roman Hryshchuk, a cleric of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) from Bukovyna, along with his son and four associates – including Mykola Hergeliuk – forced open the gates of the UOC’s St. Nicholas Church in Chernivtsi. Surveillance footage of the incident was published by kozakTv1 telegram channel (First Cossack).

The OCU group approached the church quickly and sang the Paschal troparion several times in Ukrainian. Hryshchuk later posted the footage on his Facebook page, calling the act a “moleben.” At the time, two female parishioners with a small child were attempting to guard the church doors. The entire incident lasted just over a minute and occurred while OCU activists were simultaneously seizing the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Hryshchuk had called UOC believers in Chernivtsi “zombies” and openly called for their extermination.

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