Unknown intruders break down doors at two UOC churches in Sloviansk
Archbishop Paisiy said OCU activists are suspected of breaking into the churches in Sloviansk, and police have launched an investigation.
Unknown individuals broke into two UOC churches in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, on the night of October 1, 2026, according to Archbishop Paisius of Kostiantynivka, vicar of the Kyiv Metropolia, as reported by the UOC Information and Education Department.
According to the hierarch, the intruders broke the locks and entered the Church of the Reigning Icon of the Mother of God and the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov. The vandals broke down doors, damaged church furnishings, and desecrated sacred objects.
Archbishop Paisius said OCU activists are suspected of carrying out the break-ins. They had previously attempted to transfer three religious communities in Sloviansk to the OCU.
Law enforcement officers were called to the scene and launched an investigation into the unlawful entry.
Archbishop Paisius added that cases concerning the unlawful re-registration of the religious communities are currently before the courts.
As the the UOJ reported, two more parishes in Sloviansk had been re-registered to the OCU. Earlier the authorities transferred the UOC cathedral to the OCU.
