Bishop Nikita (Storozhuk)

Nikita (Storozhuk) (Secular name: Andrii Storozhuk)
Date of birth: 12 December 1980

Bishop of Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia of the UOC

Ruling hierarch of the Ivano-Frankivsk Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Ivano-Frankivsk Region); previously Secretary of the Chernivtsi–Bukovyna Eparchy of the UOC.

He is being persecuted as part of state campaigns aimed at coercing clergy into transferring to the structure of the OCU and dismantling the independent UOC, for his public defense of the right to freedom of religion and his criticism of crimes committed against UOC believers.

The persecution of Metropolitan Meletii, Bishop Nikita (Storozhuk), as well as other clergy and faithful of the Chernivtsi–Bukovyna Eparchy, was accompanied by an unprecedented wave of slander and a coordinated campaign of lies and discreditation involving the media and the SBU.

On the night of 25 November 2022 in Chernivtsi, the diocesan administration (Consistory) of the Chernivtsi–Bukovyna Eparchy was subjected to hours-long searches carried out by SBU officers in full combat gear.

Law enforcement officers forcibly broke down the doors without prior warning, although no one intended to obstruct the searches.

The clergy and monastics residing in the Consistory were forced out of their cells and lined up against a wall. Priests and monks pulled from their beds were not even allowed to get dressed.

Representatives of the eparchy were deliberately made to stand in a humiliating position, virtually on broken glass. SBU officers then began photographing them.

(Source: UOJ)

Notably, operational photographs from the searches, which could only have been taken by SBU officers or individuals accompanying them, were immediately published without any blurring or redaction on several information websites known for their anti-church propaganda.

The most scandalous publication appeared on the website of the outlet Livyi Bereh. Along with illegally published photographs, it contained defamatory claims that Bishop Nikita had allegedly been “caught in bed with a 17-year-old choirboy” – an absolute fabrication illustrated by a crude photomontage combining two unrelated images.

(Source: Livyi Bereh)

It later emerged that SBU officers had forced people, including a minor subdeacon, to stand half-dressed against the wall and pose for these photographs.

The slander disseminated jointly by the media and the SBU was subsequently refuted in court. The author of the defamatory material – an editor at Livyi Bereh – was ordered to remove the false information, issue an official retraction, and pay a fine, requirements that were never fully complied with.

(Source: UOJ)

Nevertheless, serious reputational damage was inflicted.

Media outlets, OCU supporters, and anti-church actors continued to exploit this narrative to fuel hatred against the UOC and Bishop Nikita. In particular, it was used to justify the final destruction of the Ivano-Frankivsk Eparchy and the violent seizure of the last UOC church in the region on 28 March 2023.

(Source: UOJ)

On 10 April 2023, after dark, Bishop Nikita was attacked and beaten by an unknown assailant motivated by hatred.

Police questioned the attacker but did not detain him. The perpetrator faced no punishment.

(Source: UOJ)