Zastavna. The Seizure of the Nativity of the Mother of God Church of the UOC, Chernivtsi Region, Under Police Protection

Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos

Address: 59400, Ukraine, Chernivtsi region, Zastavna city, Sichovyh Striltsiv street, building 2a

September 6, 2022 — Head of the Zastavna Amalgamated Territorial Community, Vasyl Radysh, Called for Physical Violence Against the UOC

At a cemetery, over the coffin of a fallen soldier, he told grieving people:
“Everywhere there is the stench of the Moscow Patriarchate. This garbage must be taken out.”

Direct quote from the head of Zastavna:

“...In the villages, in the town — everywhere one can still feel the smell of the ‘Russian world’ and the stench of the Moscow Patriarchate... This garbage must be taken out of the house while the guys on the front line put things in order there, so that when they return here, it will be clean and not stink. Yes, maybe it will still stink for a while, but when they come, in two or three days it will begin to give off a smell.”
Mayor V. Radysh has experience of direct official interference in the life of a religious community, since on September 2, 2022, he seized an Orthodox church in the village of Verbovtsi. He personally brought a generator for an angle grinder, which was used to cut the locks of the St. Michael’s Church of the UOC.

2 February 2025. Parishioners of the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the city of Zastavna, Bukovina, have confirmed their faithfulness to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

More than 450 members of the religious community of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos have stated their unwavering desire to remain within the bosom of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the omophorion of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy. The Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reports with reference to suspilne.media.

The religious community of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos has drawn up lists of its members, who have expressed in writing their unwavering desire to remain within the bosom of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

“These lists contain the surnames and names of the members of our religious community, their dates of birth, and their places of residence. All of it is attested by the signatures of people, our parishioners, who express their trust in our Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy, and state their will to remain within the bosom of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church”, says Archpriest Oleh Bondar, Rector of the Parish of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The religious community has taken such actions in relation to the provocations made by members of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), who on 3 February assembled their own “meeting” in the central square of the city in order to gain possession of the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos. This event was attended by persons having no relation to the religious community of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. For example, when giving comments to journalists, participants of the so-called meeting admitted their not even attending the church whose fate they had come to decide.

The rector and parishioners of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos became aware of the preparation for an illegitimate voting from social networks, where supporters of the OCU posted announcements with a call upon residents of the community to come to the unlawful meeting. Finding out about it, the rector, Archpriest Oleh Bondar, held a meeting of the religious community on 2 February, at which all the members voted for remaining in the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The list of the members of the religious community of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos who have stated their desire to remain in the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church contains the signatures of 452 parishioners of the church.

Attempts to seize the Nativity of the Mother of God Church began on February 3, 2025.

Local OCU activists falsified documents for the church and illegally re-registered it under the OCU.

A member of the religious community of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos came to the event of members of the OCU, which took place on 3 February, so as to warn the participants of this “meeting” of the unlawfulness of their actions. However, supporters of the OCU accused her of being “unpatriotic” and started to shout out offensive slogans.

In total, 392 persons, who are not members of the religious community of the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, “voted” for the transfer of the church to the OCU at this illegitimate event.

One of the members of the UOC religious community filed a police report about the provocative actions of the members of the OCU. In her comment to journalists, Karolina Marysheva, Spokesperson of the National Police in Chernivtsi region, informed that a check concerning the report was underway.

On May 16, 2025, OCU raiders broke through the fence and forced their way into the church grounds. Activists assaulted Orthodox Christians and pushed toward the sanctuary.

There was a live stream from the spot on the Facebook page of the parish.

In a video, a group of people, including OCU clergymen, are seen to break into the territory of the church.

“A priest with a crowbar in his hands came to break the gates of a temple of God. Does such a man have God in his heart?” asks a believer called Andriy, commenting on the situation.

Police at the scene stood completely idle as raiders shoved parishioners aside. Only near the church entrance did the officers suddenly “activate” — they pushed believers back and formed a corridor for the raiders.

Telegram channel 'Dozor'

Footage shows a cleric of the OCU personally breaking down the church doors.

November 16, 2025. Believers in the village of Zastavna continue the prayer life of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church community. After their church was seized, they now hold services in a private home.

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(Links: https://spzh.eu/en/news/86309-media-ocu-raiders-attempt-to-seize-uoc-church-in-zastavna-bukovyna, https://spzh.eu/en/news/86317-video-shows-ocu-cleric-forcibly-breaking-down-uoc-church-door-in-zastavna, https://spzh.eu/en/news/86377-zastavna-parishioners-share-a-video-about-life-before-and-after-seizure, https://t.me/dozor_kozak1/2948, https://t.me/dozor_kozak1/2947, https://t.me/dozor_kozak1/2946)