MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine seized the St. Michael's Cathedral in Cherkassy that belongs to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Union of Orthodox Journalists said.
"The UOC cathedral in Cherkassy has been seized by supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine," the group said on Telegram.
During an overnight liturgy, about 100 unidentified people wearing camouflage and balaclavas broke into the cathedral. They ejected the believers out of the premises, took away their cell phones, preventing them from making videos, and tore down video surveillance cameras. One of the intruders opened fire with a gas pistol, and then a fight ensued. The parishioners were able to beat back the first attack.
After the intruders fled the cathedral, some holy items such as icons, along with money, documents and computers were found missing from the premises. Metropolitan Theodosius, who leads the local diocese, made a statement immediately after the attack, which blamed officials of helping the raid, as one of the assailants was a city council member. People defending the church apprehended the lawmaker and handed him over to the police.
Reprisals against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church started in Ukraine following a coup in 2014, under then-President Pyotr Poroshenko. The so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine was created in December 2018 from two schismatic organizations, with the support of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Since then, with the encouragement of the authorities, schismatics from that church have been forcibly seizing UOC churches and attacking priests. On August 24, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed into law a bill that allows banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The bill had cleared the legislature shortly before.