Police accused four UOC supporters in Cherkasy of hooliganism

In Cherkasy, police have charged four defenders of the Archangel Michael Cathedral with hooliganism. Among them are two laymen and two clergymen. This was reported on January 29 on the website of the Union of Orthodox Journalists (SPJ).

In addition, it is reported that a criminal case has been opened against the trustee of the Marfo-Maryinsky Sisterhood, Father Alexander Smyk. In turn, the case of Fr. Roman Gorkavenko has already gone to court. He is accused of using pepper spray against militants hired by the PCU, who stormed the cathedral in October 2024.

The investigation is being conducted at an accelerated pace, SPJ reported.

On the night of October 17, 2024 it became known about the attack on the parishioners of the Archangel Michael Cathedral in Cherkassy. As reported in the Telegram-channel of Cherkassy diocese, during the night liturgy about 100 people in camouflage and balaclavas broke into the temple territory and drove all the believers out of there. The attackers took away people's cell phones and knocked down video surveillance cameras. The press service of the diocese said that the clergy dormitory was "cordoned off by bandits," and a Telegram channel reported that a diocesan lawyer was beaten by the invaders.

Earlier, on January 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that UNESCO was demonstratively inactive amid the persecution of the Ukrainian canonical Orthodox Church (UOC). He added that the actions of the Ukrainian leadership are a "screaming brazen challenge to Article 1 of the UN Charter", which commands everyone to respect the rights of every human being regardless of religion, gender, language and race.

Kiev's persecution of the canonical UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate began in 2022: criminal cases were brought against clergy and monks, they were expelled from churches, which were seized by unknown people in military uniforms and supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PCU). Temples, churches, and even the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra were searched: they were looking for traces of "anti-Ukrainian activity" there. Believers tried to defend the churches, the seizure of which was almost always accompanied by violence, and went out to rallies.

In September 2024, Ukraine officially enacted a law banning the activities of the UOC in the country.