OCU activists try to seize the UOC temple in Triskyni, Rivne region

UOC temple in honor of St. Nicholas in Triskyni village. Photo: rivne1.tv

On November 5, 2023, at around 5:00 pm, raiders attempted to seize the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC in the village of Triskyni in the Sarny district of the Rivne region, which the regional administration had re-registered to the OCU.

According to Father Vasyl Okhrimyuk, the church's rector, who reported to the UOJ, the raiders were followers of Epifaniy Dumenko, and they brought a group of unknown individuals who had nothing to do with the church or the village of Triskyni. Some of the attackers were inebriated.

The raiders cut the locks and entered the church. The police officers present did not react to the illegal actions and prevented parishioners from entering the church.

To support the raiders, the deputy of the regional council, Lyudmila Marynina, arrived at the scene, but parishioners did not allow her into the church.

According to information from the Telegram channel "Watch on 'Pershy Kozatsky'," late in the evening, the police eventually allowed a few parishioners to enter the church, but OCU activists attacked them and pushed them out onto the street. Furthermore, the followers of Dumenko attempted to use force even against law enforcement officers.

The standoff at the church lasted for 11 hours. The raiders left the shrine at 4:00 am. According to reports from the scene, negotiations were only successful when their leader sobered up. The church was sealed, and the police maintained a presence nearby.

As reported by the UOJ, the St. Nicholas Church community had made a video statement at the beginning of August 2023, affirming their loyalty to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was preceded by several provocations by OCU chaplains during funerals of fallen soldiers. Families of servicemen who were parishioners of the church started receiving threats, and many believers were pressured by their employers.

On September 18, supporters of the OCU held a meeting in the village club where participants voted in favor of the "transition" of the St. Nicholas parish to Dumenko's structure. Simultaneously, representatives of the TCC visited the homes of UOC believers.

On the same day, the church community held a parish meeting, during which 90 parishioners unanimously reaffirmed their loyalty to the UOC.

The community notified Vitaliy Koval, the head of the Rivne Regional State Administration, of their decision. However, on his orders, the re-registration of the parish in the OCU took place on October 26.

On November 2, OCU activists made their first attempt to seize the church, but the parishioners prevented them. The parties agreed to seal the church until a court decision was reached. However, Dumenko's followers violated this agreement three days later.

In a comment to the UOJ, Metropolitan Anatoliy, the head of the Sarny Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, emphasized that for two years, the Rivne Regional State Administration has unlawfully transferred churches to the OCU, ignoring the decisions of all legitimate parish meetings of the UOC communities.

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