SBU accuses UOC community in Radych of illegal church construction

Church in Radych. Photo: Zahid.net

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) suspects the UOC community of seizing 2.18 hectares of land in the village of Radych in the Sambir district, near the city of Turka, and illegally constructing a monastery and utility buildings, reports Zahid.net.

According to the judicial register, the UOC religious community, without the necessary permits, erected the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Monastery complex of the UOC Lviv Diocese, which includes ten major construction objects and eight small architectural forms.

It is reported that these land plots do not have cadastral numbers but are classified as residential, public development, and agricultural lands.

The Turka City Council responded to investigators' inquiries, stating that they had not made any decisions regarding the development of the land nor granted permits for construction work.

Father Yaroslav Yavorsky, the rector of St. Michael's Orthodox Church located on these plots, recounted on Facebook the challenges of building the church. He mentioned that he began digging the church's foundation himself. According to him, in 2007, the Turka District State Administration initially denied construction permission, but later, on May 24, 2007, a session of the Ilnytsky Village Council allowed the construction to continue. To achieve this, Father Yavorsky personally met with the deputies, convincing them that he was building "neither a bar nor a house of debauchery, but a monastery where our souls will be cleansed." Some deputies said they would vote against it because Orthodoxy is associated with Moscow.

The case against the UOC religious community in Radych is being qualified under the article on unauthorized construction on a self-occupied land plot. The sanctions include a fine or up to three years of restricted freedom. Some documents published in the register are sealed.

As the UOJ previously reported, the Lviv City Council allocated a plot to the OCU where the demolished St. Vladimir's Church of the UOC once stood.

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