OCU raiders seize Exaltation of the Cross Church of UOC in Demyantsi

On the evening of November 5, 2022, in the village of Demyantsi (the Boryspil Eparchy), 15 strong men in sportswear came to the UOC Church of the Exaltation of the Cross and installed new locks. The head of the village council, Serhii Kuzmenko, announced to the faithful that the church now belongs to the OCU. reports the deacon of the church, Volodymyr Haiduchok.

On the morning of November 6, an OCU 'priest' arrived and held a 'service' attended by the head of Demyantsi village council, Serhii Kuzmenko, and Pereyaslav mayor Vyacheslav Saulko, who took part in the attempted seizure of the Sts. Boris and Gleb Church in Pereyaslav.

"Kuzmenko and Saulko are two local bandits, everyone knows them here," said the residents of Demyantsi. According to them, under the leadership of this couple and their "squad", there have been seizures of UOC churches throughout the district. In this way, they have already "transferred to the OCU" about 30 temples.

After the seizure of the Exaltation of the Cross Church in Demyantsi, Kuzmenko threatened UOC clerics that they would be "cut into pieces and taken away from here in suitcases”. Deacon Volodymyr Gaiduchok, who was beaten by the OCU raiders while attempting to seize the shrine, was threatened by Kuzmenko with taking away the house where his family lives, although the house belongs to the deacon and was privatized long ago. The rector of the church, Archpriest Grigory Gaiduchok, fell ill after the sad events.

Oleksiy Kravchenko said that the UOC Holy Cross community is preparing a lawsuit in court while Kuzmenko promised to once again convene a village meeting to confirm the community's transfer to the OCU.

As reported, OCU members, attempting to seize the church in Demyantsi, cut off the lock and beat up the deacon.

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