Court: Chaplain who removed flag from UOC church acted "out of love for Ukraine"

Holy Ascension Church of the UOC. Photo: Glavcom

The Dubno District Court of Rivne Region issued a ruling in a case involving a conflict between representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), reports Glavcom.

The case stemmed from the actions of an OCU chaplain who, on December 8, 2024, defaced the fence of the UOC's Holy Ascension Church with the inscription "collaborators of russia" and removed a Ukrainian flag displayed on the church property.

According to the administrative protocol, the OCU chaplain justified his actions by claiming that the Ukrainian flag could not be present on the premises of an institution he believed to be "serving Moscow." Police documented the vandalism, noting that the chaplain's actions violated public morality.

However, the court did not find evidence of a crime in his actions. The ruling stated:

"He committed these actions out of love and respect for Ukraine and the Ukrainian army... As a military chaplain and volunteer, he has an acute sense of justice and was unable to restrain himself. The court cannot consider his actions as disrespect toward society."

As the UOJ previously reported, UOC lawyer Archpriest Nikita Chekman stated that criticism of the OCU is often met with sweeping accusations, while offenses against the feelings of UOC believers are rarely investigated.

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