A bulgarian journalist and a translator Andriy Romanov believes that the persecution of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine is a technology that can be prepared for wider use in other countries.

In an interview with the Bulgarian editorial office of the UOJ, the journalist stated that the technology of judicial, legal and media persecution of the Orthodox Church is now being practiced.

“I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I suspect that this is some kind of rehearsal for something that may happen on a global scale,” Romanov noted. “Technologies of persecution are practiced – judicial, legal and media persecution, slander. These are technologies that are being practiced in a certain way.”

The expert believes that under the manipulative slogans of “fighting the Moscow Church” and Ukrainian nationalism, something much more disturbing is hidden.

The journalist called on Christians to be careful, as the processes taking place in Ukraine can be used as a model for persecution in other countries.

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🇬🇧“THE TECHNOLOGY OF CHURCH PERSECUTION IS PRACTISED IN UKRAINE.” BULGARIAN JOURNALIST

🇺🇦«В УКРАЇНІ ВІДПРАЦЬОВУЄТЬСЯ ТЕХНОЛОГІЯ ПЕРЕСЛІДУВАННЯ ЦЕРКВИ». БОЛГАРСЬКИЙ ЖУРНАЛІСТ

🇬🇧BUDGET SERVANTS ARE PLANNED TO BE USED FOR TO SEIZE A UOC CATHEDRAL IN CHERNIVTSI

🇺🇦ДЛЯ МАЙБУТНЬОГО ЗАХОПЛЕННЯ СОБОРУ ПЛАНУЮТЬ ВИКОРИСТАТИ БЮДЖЕТНИКІВ. ЧЕРНІВЦІ

Our subscribers from Chernivtsi share alarming news about the plans of OCU raiders to seize the UOC Holy Spirit Cathedral.

Believers report that local authorities have decided to use budget employees for the future capture of the shrine.
For this, employees of the budget sectors are being summoned for talks, promising good careers.

However, the Orthodox Bukovinians are ready to defend their cathedral, their clergy and their Church.

We have changed the subscriber's voice for security reasons.

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The decision was reviewed due to technical errors found in the documents.
On April 24, 2025, the Commercial Court of Volyn Region held another hearing regarding the eviction of the Volodymyr-Volyn Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the complex of buildings of the Holy Dormition Cathedral in the city of Volodymyr-Volynskyi, which also houses the eparchial administration and the Volodymyr-Volyn Theological School, according to the Bug regional news outlet.
It was reported that representatives of the Volodymyr-Volyn Eparchy of the UOC filed a motion to annul the decision of the North-Western Appellate Commercial Court dated March 11 on the grounds of a technical error in the documents. It turned out that the court documents referred to a "religious community" instead of a "religious organization."
However, the court ruled that such an inaccuracy did not affect the essence of the case, as the name of the party and other important identification details were correctly indicated. Therefore, the motion of the Volodymyr-Volyn Eparchy of the UOC to annul the decision due to a technical error was denied, and the eviction decision remains in force.

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🇬🇧Court stands by original decision to evict UOC from Cathedral in Volodymyr

🇺🇦Суд відмовився переглядати рішення про виселення УПЦ із собору у Володимирі

DESS representatives participated in the 115th session of the UN in Geneva, where the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination considered the periodic reports of six participating countries, including Ukraine.

Among the issues raised by human rights activists at the UN was the issue of the destruction of freedom of religion by the Ukrainian authorities.
However, on their official pages, the DESS did not say a single word about this.

The only sentence devoted to religious topics concerned the creation of the OCU.

Deputy Chairman of the Soviet DESS Igor Lossovsky stated that the creation of the Epiphany structure in 2019 “became a symbol of spiritual independence and support for religious freedom in the country.”

We do not know exactly what was the UN reaction to this nonsense. However, we are absolutely sure that since 2019, human rights activists have regularly recorded terror against the UOC faithful.

The creation of the OCU became the starting point for large-scale persecution of Orthodox Ukrainians. Over the years, more than 1,500 UOC temples have been brutally seized by OCU raiders and militants. The raiding of the Epiphany thieves was often accompanied by violence and bloodshed.
Parishioners of the largest and oldest Christian denomination in Ukraine live in an atmosphere of constant terror, pressure, and discrimination.

These facts have been repeatedly reflected in the reports of the UN monitoring mission.

Lossovsky's clumsy tales once again confirm that the DESS has become an instrument of persecution of Christians.

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🇬🇧DESS ASSURED THE UN THAT “ABSOLUTE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM” EXISTS IN UKRAINE

🇺🇦ДЕСС ЗАВІРИЛА ООН, ЩО В УКРАЇНІ «РЕЛІГІЙНА СВОБОДА»

🇬🇧On April 28, another hearing in Upper Lavra case to take place in Kyiv

🇺🇦У Києві 28 квітня відбудеться чергове засідання у справі Верхньої лаври


Believers are asked for prayer support.
On Monday, April 28, 2025, a hearing will take place at the Northern Appeal Economic Court of Kyiv regarding the lawsuit of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra against the National Reserve concerning the right to use the churches of the Upper Lavra. This was reported by the lawyer of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Archpriest Nikita Chekman.
The hearing will begin at 15:00.

«We ask for the saints' prayers!» wrote the monastery's lawyer.

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🇬🇧In Myrnohrad, UOC temple once again shelled

🇺🇦В Мирнограді храм УПЦ в черговий раз потрапив під обстріл


The interior decoration of the church has been damaged, the Royal Doors are affected, and there is destruction in the church grounds.
In Myrnohrad, Donetsk region, the Church of Saint Dimitri of Rostov (UOC) has once again been damaged by shelling, as reported by the Telegram channel of the Pokrovsk Vicariate on April 25, 2025.
The published photos show that the interior decoration of the church, including the Royal Doors, has been damaged by the blast wave. There are also destructions in the church grounds.
As reported by the UOJ, the Church of Saint Dimitri of Rostov came under fire on March 15, 2024. In February 2025, the church was robbed by looters.

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Zelenskyy is lobbying for a law to ban the Church in Ukraine. Again. For the second time during a year.
This time for the famous American blogger Ben Shapiro. Against the backdrop of St. Sophia of Kyiv.

And again the obvious thing emerges - Zelenskyy does not even understand what he is talking about. He simply throws out crumbs of his knowledge on the table, mixed with fantasies and outright absurdity.

He literally does not even know what the banning the UOC, he signed, is about.

Shapiro asks Zelensky about concerns in the West that religious freedom is being suppressed in Ukraine. Then he adds that there are problems in the “Russian Church”.

Zelensky launches into some kind of long monologue about his preparations to participate in the funeral of Pope Francis. Then he continues “in Ukraine, no one conducts backstage negotiations with religious organizations”, “everyone celebrates holidays together”.

Don’t ask what this stream of consciousness has to do with the essence of the question.

Only after that he moved to the ROC and say that it is under the control of the “KGB”. Why not the FSB is not clear, considering that the KGB has not existed for about 30 years.

Then he started a story about “the KGB controlling churches in Ukraine”. It seems that Zelensky is too young to write this off as Cold War fantasies.
“The changes in Ukrainian laws are related to the severing of ties between Moscow and the church. No one is closed, but the Russian KGB cannot control the church in Ukraine. Everyone is against these legal ties, not only at the intelligence level. Legal ties have existed for years, but this should not be the case.”

And again, as in the interview with Piers Morgan, he talks about some “legal ties.”

Even the most active lobbyists for the persecution of the UOC did not allow themselves to invent any “legal ties.” Their law speaks of a vague “affiliation” in order to substitute anything under this concept.

Zelensky is deliberately misleading Shapiro’s audience, abundantly seasoning his incomprehensible speech with such frank fabrications.

No evidence. One continuous hodgepodge, which ends with a measurement of whose Church is older.

And even here the essence of the theocratic regime is noticeable. Zelensky points to St. Sophia of Kyiv, which was taken from Orthodox Christians by the Bolsheviks, and the Ukrainian state refuses to return .

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🇬🇧ZELENSKIY STATES THAT “CHURCHES IN UKRAINE ARE CONTROLLED BY THE KGB” AND LIED AGAIN ABOUT THE ANTI-CHURCH LAW

🇺🇦ЗЕЛЕНСЬКИЙ ЗАЯВИВ, ЩО «ЦЕРКВИ В УКРАЇНІ КОНТРОЛЮЮТЬСЯ КДБ» ТА ЗНОВУ ЗБРЕХАВ ПРО АНТИЦЕРКОВНИЙ ЗАКОН

On April 24, 2025, a priest of the UOC, Father Oleksiy Kuznetsov, died at the front.
The priest was in the Sumy front direction, performing the duties of a military chaplain and psychologist in the ranks of the 252nd separate territorial defense battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“With deep pain in his heart, the Sumy and Okhtyrka Metropolitan Yevlogiy, the UOC. Sumy Diocese Administration, clergy and believers express sincere Christian condolences to the wife Iryna and the family of the deceased pastor, his brothers, parishioners, relatives and everyone who knew and loved Father Oleksiy,”
— the Sumy Diocese of the UOC reported.

The diocese said that the priest had been in the Church since his childhood. His ministry was a calling from the Lord.

☦️The Kingdom of Heaven to Fr. Oleksiy!

The tragic death of the UOC priest at the front reveals an unpleasant truth for all persecutors of the Church in Ukraine.

The deceased Fr. Oleksiy continued his spiritual care for the soldiers, despite all the obstacles placed on Orthodox priests.

Despite the law that forbade thousands of the UOC priests to care for their flock in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and soldiers to take spiritual care of their Church.

We suggest that the SBU, together with the "unfortunate" people's deputies who voted for this law, definitely investigate this malicious betrayal and sabotage, because of which the one who is branded as a "Moscow priest" ended up in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and served on the front lines as a chaplain and medic, saving lives and souls.

And for this investigation, immediately go to the location of the unit where the UOC priest died and live for a month in those trenches under shelling, where he served and probably (as the fighters from the UOC are sure) "harmed Ukraine."

We suggest that they live like the murdered priest, who, obviously, violated their beautiful patriotic law, and try to serve the people of Ukraine at least like him.

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🇬🇧A PRIEST OF THE UOC DIED AT THE FRONT

🇺🇦СВЯЩЕННИК УПЦ ЗАГИНУВ НА ФРОНТІ

On April 24, during a session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, it was stated that the creation of the OCU by the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul in 2018 "led to tensions with the UOC, which severed ties with the Russian Orthodox Church in May 2022, following the invasion by the Russian Federation."

Because of this and the adoption of a law effectively banning the UOC, committee expert and rapporteur Chinsun Chun requested clarification regarding the situation and the measures taken to ensure the rights to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion in Ukraine.

Responding on behalf of the Ukrainian delegation was Ihor Lossovskyi, Deputy Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, under Viktor Yelenskyi:

He stated that Ukraine does not refer to what is happening as a conflict. "This is a bloody, existential, colonial war with Russia, not just a conflict. In 2018, the Ukrainian church received independence from the patriarchal Eastern Christian church based in Istanbul, Turkey.

This was a revolutionary decision because Ukraine was a large country and had no Orthodox Church.

Now, there is an independent Church of Ukraine, as in all other Christian Orthodox countries.

No activities of other churches have been banned in Ukraine.

The only restrictions applied to the ROC, which was limited in its operations on Ukrainian territory. This was due to its support for Russian aggression, which destroyed the country and killed hundreds of thousands of people."

So, what kind of discrimination against the UOC are we talking about, if we didn’t even have an Orthodox Church before the “gift from Istanbul”? We only restricted the ROC in Ukraine, and everything else is the result of the policy of “spiritual independence” and Russian aggression.

How can we expect any reasonable attitude from the authorities towards the Church and believers if representatives of the country are simply lying to the whole world at the UN?

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🇬🇧"UKRAINE HAD NO ORTHODOX CHURCH BEFORE THE OCU": RESPONSE BY THE DESS THE UN ON DISCRIMINATION

🇺🇦"УКРАЇНА ДО ПЦУ НЕ МАЛА ПРАВОСЛАВНОЇ ЦЕРКВИ": ВІДПОВІДЬ ДЕСС В ООН ПРО ДИСКРИМІНАЦІЮ

On April 24, a memorial lity was held in the Academic Church of St. John of Damascus at the Holy Protection Monastery in Holosiiv for all those who died as a result of the massive Russian attack on Ukraine.

The service was led by Archimandrite Volodymyr (Tsipin), Senior Assistant to the Vice-Rector for Educational Work, together with clergy from the Kyiv Theological Schools—both teachers and students.

On the night of April 24, 2025, Russian forces carried out a combined strike on Ukraine using various types of air-, land-, and sea-launched missiles, as well as Shahed-type attack drones.

In Kyiv, it has been officially confirmed that 8 people were killed, and over 77 were injured, including children.

The regions of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, and Khmelnytskyi also suffered from the night attack.

The Kyiv Theological Schools extend their condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased.

May the All-Merciful Lord grant rest to the souls of the innocently slain in the dwellings of the righteous!

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🇬🇧A Memorial Lity for the Victims of the Massive Russian Attack on Ukraine Held in the UOC

🇺🇦В УПЦ звершили заупокійну літію за загиблими внаслідок масованої російської атаки по Україні

Following this logic, the SBU must now seriously consider prosecuting the authors of the DESS expertise and every official or commentator who continues to promote the claim that the UOC is a subordinate structure of the ROC. They should be charged under the same Criminal Code articles: Part 5 of Article 27 and Part 3 of Article 110 – aiding in efforts to alter Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Either that, or the state must publicly declare the truth – that the UOC is an independent Church, governed by its own Synod and Charter, and not subordinate to the ROC in any way. But doing so would dismantle the entire narrative of a “Russian FSB Church in Ukraine,” a fiction that the authorities, media, and even the SBU have painstakingly built in recent years. That fiction was the basis for an entire law banning the Church of millions of Ukrainian citizens.

This situation is a textbook case of cognitive dissonance – or, to use a more humorous analogy, like the classic Jewish joke about the crucifix and the underwear: you can’t have it both ways.

But sadly, reason seems to be out of favor in high offices these days. Perhaps that’s just the times we have to live in.

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When it’s convenient, the Ukrainian authorities call the UOC “Moscow-backed” and “FSB-controlled.” When it’s not – they call it Ukrainian. So what’s the truth?
On April 22, 2025, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) published a surprising announcement on its official Facebook page. The agency reported charges against fourteen “high-ranking officials” of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) who, according to the SBU, aided in the takeover of Ukrainian churches in temporarily occupied territories.

These “officials” are hierarchs who served on the ROC’s Holy Synod between 2022 and 2024. The SBU claims they orchestrated the Synod’s decision to “annex” the dioceses of Dzhankoi, Berdyansk, Rovenky, and Kherson – all of which belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) – and replaced their bishops with individuals “loyal to Moscow.”
From this official announcement, three important points emerge:
1. The churches that were seized are identified as Ukrainian, not Russian;
2.The dioceses in question were joined to the ROC – implying they did not previously belong to it;
3.New bishops “controlled by Moscow” were installed – suggesting the previous bishops (from the UOC) were not under such control.

Now let’s compare that with the claim made in the Religious Studies Examination of the UOC Statute on Governance conducted by the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) in a document dated January 27, 2023:
“The UOC stands in a part-to-whole ecclesiastical-canonical relationship with the ROC. The UOC is not an independent (autocephalous) Church in relation to the ROC. Nor does it possess autonomous status recognized by other Churches. Therefore, from the perspective of ecclesiology and canon law, the UOC is a structural subdivision of the ROC with certain rights of self-governance but without independent canonical subjectivity. … The current activity or inactivity of the UOC’s highest governing bodies indicates that the UOC remains subordinate to the ROC.”
In other words, the DESS’s official expertise contradicts the basis of the SBU’s criminal charges. If we believe the DESS report, then the ROC couldn’t have “taken over” those dioceses – because they already belonged to it. Likewise, the bishops replaced by “Moscow-controlled” figures were supposedly under Moscow’s authority anyway.
This religious expertise is an official legal document. Yet the claim that the UOC is part of the ROC is echoed by numerous politicians, public figures, and church leaders. Here are just a few examples:
OCU "Archbishop" Mark of Kropyvnytskyi and Holovanivsk: “Everyone understands that the UOC (MP) is not independent – it’s merely part of the ROC.”
MP Mykola Kniazhytskyi: “The UOC MP hasn’t severed its canonical ties with the ROC and continues to be a ‘self-governing body with broad autonomy’ within the ROC.”
MP Nataliia Pipa: “The UOC’s charter says changes must be coordinated with its parent body – i.e., Moscow. It’s not a church but a structure controlled by the FSB.”
And yet, the SBU – which rigorously prosecutes pro-Russian narratives – has now effectively endorsed a key anti-Russian narrative: that the UOC is not part of the ROC. So what does that mean?
It means that those promoting the idea that the UOC is part of the ROC are, in fact, spreading pro-Russian narratives. These narratives support the Kremlin’s claim that the ROC has full rights over dioceses and parishes in Ukraine. They undermine the SBU and make its current charges look absurd – because if the UOC really is part of the ROC, then the ROC didn’t “seize” anything. It merely restructured its own organization.
So what is this narrative – if not a Kremlin talking point?

🇬🇧SBU just proved the UOC is Ukrainian – who’s been lying all along?

🇺🇦СБУ випадково виявила, що УПЦ – українська Церква: що буде далі?

On April 24, 2024, officers of the NKVD of the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a search at the Lavra and took Vladyka Arseniy with them, on the basis of a suspicion they had been fabricating for over six months. Arrest for preaching — this is the reality of modern Ukraine. Once again, just as a hundred years ago, the successors of the old punitive agencies are doing the same thing.

Afterward came an interrogation in Sloviansk, then a transfer to Dnipro, another interrogation and a court hearing — where people, either without conscience or fearing for their own fate, make decisions to imprison him pending trial.

There is still no verdict in the case against Vladyka Arseniy, because it cannot be anything but an acquittal. So, endless hearings in a court in another city, hours spent in a stifling prison transport vehicle back and forth, a ban on giving food or even water to the exhausted elderly defendant. And in winter, sometimes a cell without heating. Torture? But “there’s not even any persecution”, right?

It’s already been a year of shame and judgment — for this government and for the executors of the repression!

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🇬🇧TODAY MARKS A YEAR THAT METROPOLITAN ARSENIY, THE ABBOT OF THE SVYATOHIRSK LAVRA, HAS BEEN BEHIND BARS. WITHOUT A VERDICT, WITHOUT GUILT, WITHOUT GROUNDS.

🇺🇦СЬОГОДНІ РІК, ЯК НАМІСНИКА СВЯТОГІРСЬКОЇ ЛАВРИ МИТРОПОЛИТА АРСЕНІЯ ТРИМАЮТЬ ЗА ГРАТАМИ. БЕЗ ВИРОКУ, БЕЗ ВИНИ, БЕЗ ПІДСТАВ

The court has granted the abbot of the Lavra permission to leave house arrest for medical treatment.
On April 24, during Bright Week, the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the hermitage of the monastery, according to the Lavra’s press service.
Concelebrating with Metropolitan Pavel were the head of the hermitage, the monastic brotherhood, and visiting clergy.
During the service, special prayers were offered for the departed brethren of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and for all those buried in the monastery’s brotherhood cemetery, located on the grounds of the hermitage.
As noted in the statement, Metropolitan Pavel currently has court permission to remain in the city for the purpose of receiving medical treatment, under a one-time court-issued authorization.
Following the Liturgy, a procession took place, after which Metropolitan Pavel expressed his gratitude to the brotherhood for their shared prayers and congratulated those who had partaken of the Holy Mysteries, wishing that “the Mysteries of Christ may bring you health of soul and body and eternal salvation.” The hierarch concluded by giving his archpastoral blessing to all those present.

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🇬🇧Metropolitan Pavel celebrates Liturgy at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra skete

🇺🇦Митрополит Павел звершив Літургію в скиті Києво-Печерської лаври

The OCU head stated that he is not afraid of the US sanctions for his actions in Ukraine, because we... do not have persecution! He said that all this is fiction.

At the same time, "Apostrophe" publication writes that he spoke with Epiphany about the development of the OCU and the "fight against the external and internal enemy". Have you already guessed who the "journalists" wrote down as "enemies of the people"?

Question: "Do you expect changes in religious policy towards Ukraine and the OCU, because the new Trump administration positions itself as protecting Christians all over the world?"

🗣️Epiphany: "But we have no violation of religion freedom. Any Republican administration over the past decades has mainly been working to maintain the balance of freedom of religion in the world.

It is the Moscow Church that provides information that there are persecutions and persecutions in Ukraine. In fact, there is no such thing.

We have such freedom of religion in Ukraine that is not available in some European countries, even though we are in a state of war.

Therefore, we have no worries. We are not violating anything. Those clergymen of the Moscow Patriarchate who are currently under investigation are responsible for their actions as citizens. Everyone is equal before the law. This concerns the security of the Ukrainian state, not freedom of religion."

Epiphany added that he is convinced that "this freedom will continue to be preserved."

Well, we know who the father of lies is, and the head of the OCU is clearly his son. And regarding such "freedom" in the future - God will rule, you will no longer lie to Him.
You will be in the same shameful dump of History, where previous lovers of repression, finding "enemies of the people" to justify criminal incompetence, who told the world that "we do not have repression."

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🇬🇧EPIPHANIY: "IN UKRAINE THE FREEDOM OF RELIGION IS LARGER THAN IN SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES"

🇺🇦ЕПІФАНІЙ: "В УКРАЇНІ ТАКА СВОБОДА ВІРОСПОВІДАННЯ, ЯКОЇ НЕМАЄ В ДЕЯКИХ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКИХ КРАЇНАХ"

🇬🇧VLADYKA LONGHYN IS HOSPITALIZED

🇺🇦ВЛАДИКУ ЛОНГИНА ГОСПІТАЛІЗОВАНО

The Telegram channel of the UOC Banchensky Monastery reports on the hospitalization of Metropolitan Longyn.

The Bishop has been hospitalized again.

The monastery is asking your prayers for the bishop!

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On April 21, 2025, Bright Monday, activists of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) seized the Archangel Michael Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the village of Stavchany, Bukovina, according to sources in the community reported to the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ).

According to parishioners, despite the stance of the local community, the authorities illegally re-registered the church under the OCU. As a result, activists led by an OCU cleric from another village came to the church to “take what was theirs.” About twenty men entered the church during a service and simply pushed the parishioners out into the street. At that moment, most of the people inside were elderly women who were unable to resist the use of brute physical force.

Two days later, the rector of the church, Archpriest Viacheslav Hohol, was stopped by police and ordered to report to the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC).

In February 2025, the OCU cleric Hryshchuk, who had previously seized a church at night in Verkhni Stanivtsi, organized a fake community meeting in Stavchany. The rector of the community emphasized that most of those who voted for the transfer had never attended the church.

At present, the community is searching for a temporary space to hold services.

Source of the info.

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🇬🇧OCU Activists Entered the Church During Worship and Simply Forced Parishioners Out

🇺🇦В Ставчанах ПЦУ захопила Михайлівський храм

The clergyman criticized the perception of the unified Church of Christ as a national institution.
Archimandrite of the UOC Ioann (Melnyk) addressed the issue of the nationalization of church life on Facebook, emphasizing the apostolic understanding of the Church as the one Body of Christ rather than a divided institution based on national features.
“I must be reading a different Gospel... Because when I hear how some people, who consider themselves Orthodox, talk about the Church today, I catch myself thinking that I must have a different Gospel,” writes Archimandrite Ioann, drawing attention to the widespread slogans: “This is the Ukrainian Church!”, “And this is the Moscow one!”, “FSB in cassocks!”, “Down with the priests, down with the 'Moscow Church'!”, “There should be our own Church – national, Ukrainian, independent!”.
The clergyman reminds us that Christ did not create a “Jewish” Church, even though He was a Jew by flesh. “He built a Church that is one for all. A Church that must be one, as one Lord, one faith, and one Baptism (Eph. 4:5),” notes the archimandrite.
Referring to the apostolic experience, the author emphasizes: “And the apostles did not build 'national Churches' – they went to all nations, creating one Church of Christ. A Church where there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither barbarian nor Scythian, but all are one in Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:28).”
Archimandrite Ioann pays special attention to the current church situation in Ukraine: “And now, after two thousand years, in Ukraine alone – there are several 'local churches'. Each has its own 'bishop', its own 'hierarchy', its own registrations, seals, and medals. And each says: 'We are Ukrainian, and they are foreign.' So where is Christ here? Who appointed you? Christ? Or offices with seals?”
The clergyman warns against substituting church unity with national interests: “If the Church begins to be built on the nation, then it is no longer a Church – it is a religious fan club. The Church of Christ is a place where one is saved. Not where they shout: 'Ours! Ukrainian!'”
In conclusion, Archimandrite Ioann formulates the key thought: “And as soon as Christ disappears as the Center in the Church – and in His place comes a language, a flag, or a political slogan – then it is no longer a Church. It is another body. And another spirit.”

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🇬🇧UOC Archimandrite: Christ didn't create "Jewish" Church though being a Jew

🇺🇦Архимандрит УПЦ: Христос не будував «єврейську» Церкву, хоча був євреєм

Fr. Serhii Chertylin delivered Paschal gifts collected with the help of a Mykolaiv charitable foundation to Lukyanivka Pretrial Detention Center.
On the eve of the Pascha celebration, clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church delivered 3,000 Paschal kulichi (traditional Easter cakes) to the Kyiv Lukyanivka Detention Center. Archpriest Serhii Chertylin told the UOC press service that the initiative was organized by the Mykolaiv International Charitable Foundation.
The Paschal gifts were delivered by Fr. Serhii himself, who had previously spent five months in detention and was released on bail in August 2024.
Before delivery, the kulichi were blessed on the grounds of the All Saints of War Church in Kyiv. Then, together with Hierodeacon Aristarkh (Karahovnyk), the priest took them to the detention center and handed them over to the administration. On Pascha, the cakes were distributed to 3,000 inmates along with greetings for the Resurrection of Christ.
“It is very important for those who are there to feel that they are not forgotten by the world – especially by those who care for souls and for the salvation of people,” Fr. Serhii said.
He noted that the Mykolaiv charitable foundation has been working with inmates for many years. Active support for the initiative was provided by the Primate of the UOC, the Kyiv Metropolia, the Vvedensky Monastery, the All Saints of War parish, and other religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as church patrons.
Illya Illiych Shalenko, Director of Development for the St. Nicholas Charitable Foundation, expressed gratitude to everyone who took part and wished good health to all the supporters and speedy release for the inmates.

Hierodeacon Aristarkh noted that this action was part of a larger program and invited everyone willing to help the inmates of detention centers to join their efforts.

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🇬🇧UOC priest who spent 5 months in detention delivers 3,000 paskas to inmates

🇺🇦Священник, який провів 5 місяців у СІЗО, передав 3000 пасок ув'язненим

UOC communities will have to comply with seven government requirements.
In May 2025, the DESS will begin the active phase of inspections of religious organizations for links to the ROC, DESS head Viktor Yelenskyi told Ukrinform.

“This will be an active process that will finally begin in May,” the official stated. According to him, preparatory work had been carried out until now: legal frameworks, instructions, and clarifications were being developed.

The head of DESS explained that the law prohibits the activities of the ROC itself, which, according to him, is “an extension of the criminal regime of the Russian Federation and an accomplice in its crimes against humanity,” as stated in a resolution by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Yelenskyi clarified that DESS will then investigate whether there are signs of affiliation between religious organizations and the ROC. The law defines seven indicators of such affiliation, including the participation of leaders in ROC structures, financial ties, shared statutory documents, and others.

“If a single instance of affiliation is identified, a notice will be issued to the religious organization,” Yelenskyi explained.

If such a notice is issued, the religious organization will have the opportunity to sever its ties with the ROC. “If the religious organization complies with the notice, there will be no claims against it. If it doesn’t, DESS has the right to go to court, which will decide the organization’s future,” emphasized the DESS head.

Yelenskyi also assured that the state does not require believers to change their religious beliefs or rituals: “The state does not demand that Orthodox believers within the Moscow Patriarchate betray Orthodoxy or switch to the New Julian calendar… All the state asks is that they leave a religious organization that is a participant in the war against Ukraine.”

According to the DESS head, religious organizations have the opportunity to voluntarily disaffiliate from the ROC by submitting a statement: “The leader of a religious organization officially under the Moscow Patriarchate but no longer wishing to be part of it simply submits a statement, sends a letter to them, sends us a copy—and that’s it. That’s enough, the notice is considered fulfilled.”

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🇬🇧Yelenskyi: As early as May, the DESS will begin active inspections of UOC communities in connection with the ROC.

🇺🇦Еленський: Вже в травні ГЕСС почне активні перевірки громад УПЦ у зв'язку з РПЦ.

Today, the SBU announced in absentia suspicions against 14 bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, in connection with the "seizure of Ukrainian dioceses and parishes in the occupied territory."

UOC Deacon Andrey Glushchenko drew attention to an important point that illustrates the cynicism of the security forces who persecute Ukrainian Christians.

"Today's reports everywhere directly speak about the seizures of "UKRAINIAN dioceses and parishes" by the synodals of the Russian Orthodox Church over the past three years (is the highlighted word clearly visible to everyone?).
Consequently, we are not talking about the parishes of the OCU, UGCC or RCC closed by the occupation authorities (the Moscow Synod cannot transfer them to the jurisdiction of the ROC in principle and has not made any such decisions).
The suspicion speaks exclusively about the dioceses and parishes of the _UOC_ in the occupied territories."

The deacon emphasizes that when it comes to the dioceses of the UOC in the territory controlled by Ukraine, government representatives call the clergy and believers "the Moscow church", "part of the ROC" and "FSB sect". And the State Security Service falsified an entire examination for this.

But when it comes to the dioceses of the UOC in the occupied territories, the SBU calls them Ukrainian.

"In addition, it is claimed that after Russia occupied these regions, the ROC began to appoint "controlled" bishops there, who began to impose "Kremlin narratives" on believers. I do not argue with this at all. It is a fact.
But in this case, it turns out that until February 2022, the bishops of the UOC in these territories were not so "controlled" by the ROC and did not directly impose Kremlin narratives. And if the latter is true, then, consequently, the same can, in principle, be assumed about the bishops and priests of the UOC in the free territory of Ukraine.
It turns out that they are simply the Ukrainian Church, and not controlled by Moscow and not spreading Kremlin narratives. Otherwise, the above accusation loses all meaning."

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🇬🇧SBU AND THE AUTHORITIES HAVE REVEALED THEIR LIES ABOUT THE UOC

🇺🇦СБУ ТА ВЛАДА ВСКРИЛИ ВЛАСНУ БРЕХНЮ ПРО УПЦ

According to Epifaniy, the transfer of parishes to the OCU happens “with love.”
The head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Epifaniy Dumenko, stated in an interview with the Verkhovna Rada TV channel that his structure currently has around 9,000 communities.
He claimed that the transfers of parishes from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) occur “with love.”
“It is important that the process continues gradually, peacefully, and calmly, because we understand that Russia is trying to ignite internal hostility here,” said Serhii Petrovych.
He acknowledged that “sometimes there are incidents, because people are involved,” but refused to comment on the reasons behind these “incidents.”
“In general, this process is taking place peacefully, calmly, and with love,” Dumenko assured.
He added that he is working to build a “genuine, independent Church that will exist for centuries to come and strengthen our Ukrainian independence.”

According to him, the creation of such a religious structure is vital for the state: “This is important, because the Church plays a significant role. The granting of the Tomos was a historic decision – t’s like two wings: national independence and church independence.”

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🇬🇧Dumenko claims OCU has 9,000 parishes

🇺🇦Думенко нарахував у ПЦУ 9000 приходів

🇬🇧EASTER IN VERKHNI STANIVTSI. THE PRAYER OF COURAGEOUS CHRISTIANS

🇺🇦ПАСХА У ВЕРХНІХ СТАНІВЦЯХ. МОЛИТВА МУЖНІХ ХРИСТИЯН

On the Bright Day of Christ’s Resurrection, the parishioners of the St. Nicholas Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the village of Verkhni Stanivtsi prayed in an adapted space.

Together with the courageous Orthodox Christians, Bishop Nikita of Ivano-Frankivsk prayed.

The UOC parishioners endured a violent assault on their sacred place by OCU militants and the brutal seizure of their church.

But the large and united religious community of the church has not disappeared. The raiders and OCU militants seized the building, but they were unable to destroy the faith.

The Orthodox Christians joyfully celebrated Easter.

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🇬🇧IN KYIV, CHRIST'S RESURRECTION WAS MOCKED IN AN LGBT CLUB

🇺🇦У КИЄВІ В ЛГБТ-КЛУБІ ПОЗНУЩАЛИСЯ З ХРИСТОВОГО ВОСКРЕСІННЯ

Footage of the "celebration" of Easter in the Kiev gay club "Portum" appeared on social networks.
A man dressed as a woman, behaving like a priest, sprinkled people with "holy water". The clown behaved as vulgarly as possible.

This blasphemy takes place to the enthusiastic cries of the crowd and Lady Gaga's characteristic song called "Judas".

When our temples can be attacked with war and even destroyed with bulldozers, believers beaten, the Church banned, and such clubs and shows operate absolutely freely - it is not difficult to define this regime. Spiritually independent nationalist LGBT Satanism.

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🇬🇧POKROVSK UNDER ATTACK AGAIN. ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH OF THE UOC DAMAGED ONCE MORE

🇺🇦ПОКРОВСЬК ЗНОВУ ПІД УДАРОМ. ВЧЕРГОВЕ ПОСТРАЖДАВ МИХАЙЛІВСЬКИЙ ХРАМ УПЦ

As a result of a Russian attack on the city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, the Church of the Archangel Michael has once again sustained damage. This was reported by the Pokrovsk Vicariate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

"☦️ Once again, the Church of the Archangel Michael in Pokrovsk has come under shelling."

Photos published on April 21 show windows and doors of the church shattered by the blast wave.

Previously, the Church of the Archangel Michael in Pokrovsk was damaged by shelling on December 21, 2024.

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🇬🇧EASTER IN THE UOC-CATHEDRAL IN CHERKASSY. BEFORE THE SANCTUARY WAS CAPTURED

🇺🇦ПАСХА В СОБОРІ УПЦ У ЧЕРКАСАХ. ДО ТОГО, ЯК СВЯТИНЮ ЗАХОПИЛИ

These are footage of the Easter service in the UOC St. Michael's Cathedral in Cherkassy a year ago. In 2024.

The sanctuary has not yet been captured by the OCU raiders. The hired militants have not yet shed the blood of Orthodox Christians within the walls of the temple.

Thousands of Orthodox residents from Cherkassy gathered in their cathedral to meet the Risen Christ.

In just a few months, the cathedral will be captured by the Epiphany thieves.

Look at the footage of the raiders' service this year and, as they say, feel the contrast.

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🇬🇧CHERKASSY OCU RAIDERS MET EASTER IN EMPTINESS

🇺🇦ЧЕРКАСЬКІ РЕЙДЕРИ ПЦУ ЗУСТРІЧАЛИ ПАСХУ В ПОРОЖНЕЧІ

OCU raiders who occupied the UOC St. Michael's Cathedral in Cherkassy met Easter with emptiness.

These are frames from a live broadcast on Easter night, which was conducted by thieves.

There are only a small handful of people in the cathedral, along with the head of the Cherkassy OCU, Ivan Yaremenko.
Orthodox residents of Cherkassy have once again shown that they want nothing to do with the militants who shed blood in the House of God.
Yaremenko and his entourage are literally standing on the bones of the desecrated shrine.

A year ago, a cathedral full of Orthodox Christians met the Risen Christ.
This Easter, hundreds of parishioners of the cathedral were forced to gather in small churches.

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Unfortunately, the personal humanism and pacifism of the newly-departed Pope Francis did not extend to his lost children from the UGCC.

This structure had cultivated hatred against Ukrainian Christians for so long that it could not even accept a drop of its leader’s calls.

The UGCC fiercely supported and continue to support the terror against the UOC and the barbaric interference of the state in Church affairs.

Ultimately, their nationalist cult overshadowed even their own RCC. And Francis' calls for peace triggered hysterical outbursts from them.

The UGCC wholeheartedly supported the law banning the largest and oldest Christian denomination — the UOC. Quietly, the bishops of the RCC in Ukraine joined them.

All this took place against the backdrop of statements from the late Pope of Rome not to touch the Church.

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🇬🇧The UGCC and RCC in Ukraine did not adhere to the calls of Francis

🇺🇦УГКЦ І РКЦ в Україні не дотрималися закликів Франциска

🇬🇧IN NIZHYN, METROPOLITAN KLIMENT PROVIDED AID TO THOSE IN NEED

🇺🇦У НІЖИНІ МИТРОПОЛИТ КЛИМЕНТ ПЕРЕДАВ ДОПОМОГУ НУЖДЕННИМ

On the eve of the Easter holiday, Metropolitan Kliment delivered charitable assistance to the needy parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

On Holy Saturday, Metropolitan Kliment visited parishes in the city of Nizhyn, extended his greetings for the upcoming Easter celebration, and distributed charitable aid from the Nizhyn Diocese to those in need.

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During the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Fire from the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem arrived at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
In the night of April 20, 2025, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry presided over the Easter service in the Church of Venerable Agapitus of the Caves at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the UOC's press service reports.
Concelebrating with the Primate were Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary (Chancellor of the UOC), Archbishop Sylvester of Bilohorodka, Bishop Lavr of Irpin, Bishop Mark of Borodianka, guest clergy, and the monastic clergy of the Lavra.
The liturgical hymns were performed by a mixed metropolitan choir and the choir of students from the Kyiv Theological Schools.
At the conclusion of the Paschal Matins, the traditional Catechetical Homily on Holy Pascha by St John Chrysostom was read aloud.
His Beatitude greeted the faithful with the Resurrection of Christ and distributed Easter gifts to the congregation.
During the Liturgy, the Holy Fire arrived at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra from the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. The Primate received the sacred flame at the threshold of the church and lit a lamp from it. The Holy Light was then shared among the faithful present.

At the end of the Liturgy, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry blessed the Paschal artos. He then sprinkled holy water on the faithful and their Easter baskets.

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🇬🇧His Beatitude Onuphry officiates Easter service at the Lavra

🇺🇦Блаженніший Онуфрій очолив пасхальне богослужіння в Лаврі

🇬🇧PERSECUTED UOC PARISH CELEBRATES EASTER IN BUKOVYNA

🇺🇦ГОНИМА ПАРАФІЯ УПЦ ЗУСТРІЧАЄ ПАСХУ НА БУКОВИНІ

◾️Easter night in the village of Panka, Bukovyna.
This is how the faithful of the St. Demetrius Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) celebrated the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

Hundreds of Orthodox Christians, whose church was seized by raiders from the OCU, glorify the Risen Christ.

Among the UOC believers who gathered for prayer that night, a true Easter joy could be felt.

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Police patrols will be stationed near locations where services are held.
During the celebration of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, the National Police of Ukraine will enhance security measures by conducting random checks of citizens’ belongings. This was reported by National Police spokesperson Yulia Hirdvilis in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine.
Police officers will be stationed near churches, as well as on streets and highways.
“During Pascha, the National Police, as in previous years, will increase security measures. Police patrols will be positioned close to the locations where services are held. Officers may conduct random surface checks of citizens’ belongings,” she told the agency.
Hirdvilis also noted that under martial law, certain restrictions may be in place. In particular, the schedule of church services has been adapted to comply with curfew regulations.

Additionally, the State Emergency Service (SES) announced that 6,000 personnel will be on active duty. If necessary, this number may be doubled.

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🇬🇧Ukrainian police to conduct random bag checks near churches on Pascha

🇺🇦На Пасху поліцейські будуть вибірково перевіряти речі українців біля храмів

🇬🇧VASHKIVTSI.
THE DETERMINATION OF THE UOC FAITHFUL DEFENDED THEIR SHRINE

🇺🇦ВАШКІВЦІ. РІШУЧІСТЬ ВІРНИХ УПЦ ЗАХИСТИЛА СВЯТИНЮ

◾️The parish of the UOC St. Nicholas Church in Vashkivtsi, Bukovyna is now in safe.
According to our sources, everything is calm in the city, and yesterday, on Good Friday, Orthodox Christians were able to pray peacefully in their church.

We are informed that the readiness of the UOC faithful to defend the House of God from the OCU raiders confused all the plans of the Epiphany thieves to storm the shrine.

We hope that, with God's help, Orthodox Christians will also be able to peacefully celebrate the bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ.

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Those who cannot or do not wish to lift their eyes to Heaven can see in the Heavenly glory the Risen Christ reflected in the pure life of a pious Christian, and thus have a good opportunity to change their vain life into a bright and joyful life in Christ.
Let us, dear brothers and sisters, join those Christians who, through their God-pleasing lives, today testify to the world about the incorruptible beauty, greatness, and saving power of Christ's Resurrection. Let us build our lives in such a way that the Name of God, great and glorious in His works, the Creator of Heaven and earth, God, Who in His boundless love descended from Heaven to earth to raise us from earth to Heaven (Akathist to the Savior, 8th kontakion), is sanctified and glorified.

Once again, I congratulate all of you, dear brothers and sisters, on the Great Day of Christ’s Pascha, on the Day of the Bright Resurrection of Christ! May the Risen Christ fill our hearts with the bright hope of salvation and the joy of His great Victory over the forces of evil. May the Risen Christ bring peace to those who are warring against us and bless us with peace.
Truly, Christ is Risen!
Humble
+ Onuphry 
Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine 
Pascha of Christ 
2025 
Kyiv

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"May the Risen Christ fill our hearts with the bright hope of salvation and the joy of His great Victory over the forces of evil."
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry addressed his Easter Message to archpastors, pastors, monastics and all faithful members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church published the congratulations of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the main Christian feast – the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here is the full text of the Easter Message by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.
“Christ is Risen!
I sincerely congratulate all of you – God-loving archpastors and pastors, pious monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters – on our greatest Christian Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ!
The Resurrection of Christ is a most glorious and sacred event through which God restored the lost Paradise to humanity; it is an event through which Divine Love shattered Hell and took away the power of death. Through His Resurrection, Christ the Savior once again granted humanity the lost gift of eternal life and bliss.
In wonderful and incomprehensible ways, Divine Love clothes itself in human nature and comes to earth to conquer all human malice and sin.

The God-man Christ takes upon Himself our sins and, as a Man, is crucified willingly for them on the Cross. On the Cross, Christ the Savior tears up the manuscript of human transgressions and frees humanity from the power of the devil, taking humanity from his hands. And when the God-man Christ died as Man on the Cross and descended into hell, then with the human soul of the Savior also descended into hell the Godhead, which in Christ was united forever with human nature. The Godhead, with its radiance, killed Hell (Paschal troparion, verse 2). The Godhead resurrected the Savior's human nature and brought out of hell the souls of all the righteous who lived on earth by faith in Christ to come.
The Resurrection of Christ became the greatest triumph of life over death.

The word of Christ Crucified and Risen was heard all over the world. The holy Apostles, the sincere disciples and followers of Christ, who were witnesses of His teachings, miracles, sufferings, and Resurrection, went throughout the world to proclaim and testify to the bright and all-conquering Resurrection of their great Teacher and Lord, Who by His death trampled our death and by His Resurrection gave life to those who were in the tombs (Paschal troparion). The word of the Risen Christ was powerful and mighty, it transformed the world; it freed humanity from fear, despair, and despondency, and embraced human suffering, grief, and pain with the warmth of bright hope. The Word about the Risen Christ taught people how to build their earthly life so that the Divine will, truth and love prevail.

Today, we joyfully celebrate and prayerfully glorify the Bright Resurrection of Christ, the great victory of good over evil, which was given to us by our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. We share this sacred joy with one another and all people of good will. As Christians, we testify and must testify to the Resurrection of Christ not only with our words but also with our lives.
What does it mean to testify to the Risen Christ with our lives?
If a Christian lives piously, that is, according to Christ’s commandments, he becomes a source of pure, living water of God’s grace, flowing into eternal life (John 4:14). Just as the sky is reflected in a clean natural spring, as St. Theophan the Recluse says in his Paschal sermon, so in the pure life of a Christian who lives according to Christ's word, Christ is reflected. Therefore, a pious Christian is a living witness of the Resurrection of Christ.

🇬🇧Easter Message of UOC Primate: May the Lord bless us with peace

🇺🇦Пасхальне послання Предстоятеля УПЦ: Нехай Господь благословить нас миром

Ten tons of humanitarian aid were delivered to the monastery.
On April 15, 2025 – Holy Tuesday – volunteers from the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church delivered ten tons of humanitarian aid to the Sviatohirsk Lavra. According to the Lavra’s press service, in addition to residents of Chernivtsi and the surrounding region, Orthodox Christians from across Ukraine and abroad – including Belgium, Germany, and Poland – participated in this pre-Easter act of charity.
The shipment included over 24,000 eggs, 100 kilograms of margarine, butter and other ingredients needed for baking Easter bread (kulichi), as well as cheese, vegetables, fruit, canned goods, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products, raincoats and rubber boots for the brethren, grain for the monastery’s poultry yard, and a vacuum cleaner for cleaning the altar of the Lavra’s Dormition Cathedral.
“We thank all the donors for their compassion for the fate of the Holy Mountains. This appeal for help drew a remarkable response. Everyone wanted to contribute something to the Easter gift for the Lavra’s monastics so that even those in the frontline zone could have a true celebration. Because today, due to the war, not everyone can celebrate Easter as they once did,” said volunteer Oksana (Maria) Tsiuha.
She extended special thanks to Magdalyna and her sisters in Christ, Bukovynian women living in Belgium; a Bukovinian priest who donated 120 Lenten poppy-seed rolls; and to businesspeople Lyudmyla, Mykhailo, Volodymyr, and Mykola.
According to the volunteer, parishioners from rural churches donated over 8,000 farm eggs for baking Easter bread. The collection took place in the villages of Volchynets, Drachenkivtsi, Koroviia, Pryvoroky, Tovtry, Chernivka, Chunchkiv, and the town of Storozhynets. Believers from the Kamianets-Podilskyi Eparchy of the UOC also participated and helped purchase butter.
The faithful from the German Eparchy and its diocesan charity fund contributed to the purchase of food for the Lavra’s Easter table.
“We would also like to thank the women from Bukovyna who, on the occasion of the Bright Feast of Christ’s Resurrection, decided to bring joy to the Lavra’s youngest parishioners by purchasing Easter gift sets. Each set included two kinds of cheese, two kinds of smoked sausage, butter, sweets, and fruit,” Maria added.
The Bukovynians also delivered aid to the Intercession Convent in the city of Lyman and to the Lavra’s Skete of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco in the village of Adamivka.

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