OR Staff: Since we called attention to the upcoming Zelensky dinner and award abomination in New York, supporters of the event have sought to defend it by minimizing the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to them, hardly anything is happening. Reports of persecution are sneeringly referred to as “Russian propaganda.” Below are some of the latest updates from Ukraine detailing the ongoing persecution. This is is only a sample. We could fill dozens of pages with reports of serious crimes against UOC property, activities, monks, clergy, bishops, and laity.
Note that many of the links are to Telegram channels, which may require a desktop or mobile app to view. We highly encourage everyone to share this information, to follow the Save the UOC site, and to sign the petition protesting giving Zelensky an award in NYC.
Law enforcement authorities carried out the seizure of the St. Michael’s Monastery of the UOC in Pereiaslav
Early in the morning, police officers, special forces units, and representatives of the reserve administration surrounded the monastery territory. Believers who attempted to protect the monastery were forcibly driven away from the entrance gates. The locks were then broken, after which museum officials entered the monastery buildings to conduct an inventory of church property.
https://t.me/pravoslavie/70242
It has also been reported that Reserve employees cut off the locks and took control of the Conception of St. Anne Church located in the Far Caves of the Lower Lavra.
These actions are especially alarming because legal proceedings between the Monastery and the Reserve concerning the use of the Lavra’s churches and premises are still ongoing, and no final judicial rulings have yet been issued in these disputes.
Any attempts to alter the use or control of churches and monastery premises while court proceedings remain unresolved should be carried out strictly within the framework of the law, with full respect for the rule of law and the judicial process.
Particular concern is caused by the manner in which the Reserve employees acted: without prior notice or official communication, and taking advantage of the absence of people inside the premises, they broke the locks, occupied the church, and deprived the Monastery of access to the holy site. Only afterward were letters sent to the Monastery claiming that the monks had voluntarily removed their belongings.
Such actions undermine respect for the judicial process and deeply offend believers for whom the holy sites of the Lavra possess immense spiritual importance.
https://t.me/nikita_chekman/1071
For more documentary evidence, please contact:
Robert Amsterdam
Email: contact@amsterdamandpartners.com
Secure line: +1 202-301-8811
The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience Has Given the Pochaiv Lavra 30 Days to Sever Ties with Moscow
The persecution of Christians continues.
The Ukrainian state has baselessly declared the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to be part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Court proceedings are currently underway in connection with this unfounded accusation.
The Pochaiv Lavra has received a directive from the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience requiring it to provide confirmation within 30 days that it has severed its ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).
According to the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra must submit documentary evidence within one month proving that it has withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. The agency has previously used the same requirement with other institutions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), citing the law prohibiting the activities of religious organizations linked to the Russian Federation.
The Pochaiv Lavra has repeatedly described such directives from the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience as unfounded, stating that the monastery is part of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which declared its full independence from the Russian Orthodox Church at its Council in 2022. The monastery’s clergy and faithful have also emphasized that they have received neither instructions nor financial support from the Moscow Patriarchate.
As previously reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists (SPZh), on July 22, 2026, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience declared that the Pochaiv Lavra was “affiliated” with the Russian Orthodox Church. According to the agency, this conclusion was based on the fact that the Lavra is part of the Kyiv Metropolis, which the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience has already determined to be connected to Moscow.
https://t.me/pravoslavie/71954
For more documentary evidence, please contact:
Robert Amsterdam
Email: contact@amsterdamandpartners.com
Secure line: +1 202-301-8811
Shocking! video of a crime committed by the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center against a priest of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. A naked priest is forcibly abducted from his home for military mobilization.
Video evidence of the attack attempting to forcibly conscript a UOC priest:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wxVqswWIiJcy0g4Vdv_2wUaUhK_OOliT/view?usp=drivesdk
https://t.me/nikita_chekman/1125?single
This horror is taking place in Volyn. According to the source, the priest who is being forcibly abducted is Archpriest Ioan Kuzminskyi (Kuzminskyi Ivan Oleksandrovych), the rector of the small St. John the Merciful Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Liubche, Lutsk District, Volyn Region.
In Ukraine, hundreds of priests of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church are forcibly abducted for the purpose of military mobilization.
Please help stop this lawlessness!
For more information, please contact the lawyer representing the priest victim shown in the video:
Nikita Chekman
Phone:
+38 (093) 708-47-10
+38 (098) 593-57-11
+38 (093) 216-73-52
Email: chekmannikita@gmail.com
DISRESPECTED Patriarch Bartholomew!
It is me, AVRAMENKO Tetyana, Ukrainian friend of ORTHODOX REFLECTIONS and I DO NOT RESPECT YOU!
I would like to tell you that after the BLOODY SCHISM—in which you, “Your Holiness,” were a direct participant—it is unlikely that you will be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven. You are up to your neck in the BLOOD of the Orthodox faithful of the UOC and in all the lawlessness perpetrated by Zelensky, the SBU, the Ukrainian police, Ukrainian courts and media, the Ukrainian parliament, and their entire entourage in Ukraine. And what will you, Patriarch Bartholomew, say at the Judgment before God, before your soul—if it does not REPENT—descends into HELL? Here is important information regarding the lawlessness and inaction of the Ukrainian authorities, carried out with the support of Patriarch Bartholomew in Ukraine. ETERNAL SHAME UPON THEM ALL!
https://spzh.eu/en/news/95221-a-monk-was-brutally-murdered-at-the-svyatogorsk-lavra-two-others-wounded
Monk brutally murdered, two others wounded at Sviatohirsk Lavra23 August 21:30
Unidentified assailants attacked members of the monastic brotherhood with a knife, leaving one dead and two seriously wounded.
On August 23, 2026, a group of unidentified assailants attacked the brotherhood of the UOC’s Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra, monastery representatives told the UOJ.
The attack occurred at around 11:00 a.m. near St. Nicholas Church in the upper part of the monastery. Monk Varsonofiy was brutally stabbed to death, and his face was mutilated beyond recognition.
Monk Grigory, whose lung was punctured by a knife, and novice Andriy were also wounded. Both are in serious condition at a hospital in Kharkiv.
Investigative and operational measures are currently underway.
The UOJ will continue to follow developments.
The UOJ previously reported that a UOC archimandrite had been beaten during the seizure of a cathedral in Kremenchuk.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JvbqgD9d8IE
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vM8ACv4JsMY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1NjlFdEojI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v6f4JZrNk4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os-kRlnrJy4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJwdP1Mt2t0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGgeWDeMWNE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKAOAxfSB60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKAOAxfSB60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKAOAxfSB60
[…] Some of the recent crimes of the Zelensky regime against Orthodox Christians in the Ukraine, https://orthodoxreflections.com/brutal-reports-confirm-the-persecution-of-the-ukrainian-orthodox-chu… […]
There is an item for sale on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (This diocese is under the Omophorion of the first without equal) website that is a raised clenched fist colored blue and yellow. I have a screenshot. To some, the image will be recognizable by its other uses. It just happens to be blue and yellow for Ukraine. Hierarchs in the US are literally supporting the secular Banderist government in Ukraine. It’s not just persecution of the Orthodox Church, it’s sending 2.7MM Ukrainian men to their death or severe injury. It’s driving out 20MM Ukrainians from their homeland. Thank you for your work!
Mr. Wolenski:
Sunlight is the best disinfectant. We recommend sending an email message expressing your valid concerns about the image and its implications (along with the image link, https://www.uocofusa.org/accessories) to all of the following addresses:
consistory@uocofusa.org
UOCofUSA@aol.com
VladykaDaniel@gmail.com
info@uoj.news
Good idea. Thank you!
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Glory be Forever!
Vladyka,
I came across an item in your bookstore that somewhat concerned me. It was a raised fist in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. I believe that particular symbol traces its roots back to various socialist labor movements in the US then adopted by the Black Power movement in the 1960s and NGO sponsored Color Revolutions.
I understand the fraternal feeling felt by the Ukrainian Diaspora for their homeland but Ukraine has been largely taken over by outside forces that do not necessarily represent the Ukrainian people let alone their Christian Heritage. In my humble opinion, the Diocese should not be promoting symbols that promote hatred and racial superiority. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this matter.