Church of the Holy Prince Vladimir UOC
Аddress: Lviv, Chervonoi Kalyny Prospekt, 89
The St. Vladimir Church of the UOC in Lviv was the first Orthodox shrine to be destroyed by the Ukrainian authorities. For decades, the church was subjected to desecration and arson attempts.
The church, located a few meters away, was built by the UOC community but seized by UOC-KP activists back in the 1990s.
Since then, the church has been vandalized several times and set on fire three times. Furthermore, unknown individuals attempted to blow the church up with explosives.
In April 2023, Lviv city authorities razed the church to the ground in full view of its parishioners.
🔴On January 28, 2018, a group of radical activists blocked the St. Vladimir Church and prevented its congregation from entering.
The radicals claimed that the church was illegally built, and therefore UOC believers had no right to pray there.
🔴On the night of February 3, 2018, the UOC Church of St. Vladimir caught fire.
The fire destroyed the roof paneling, 100 square meters of wooden flooring, the floor, and church furnishings.
Firefighters quickly arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. The church building was saved.
The church congregation suspected arson.
🔴After February 2022, the church congregation faced incredible pressure.
On Monday of Bright Week, April 25, 2022, when the church congregation went out for a procession near their church, they were met by a man armed with an assault rifle.
It was later revealed that the attacker's name was Vadim Abramov.
Abramov drove his SUV onto the church's lawn and threatened worshippers.
🔴On May 14, 2022, a group of vandals again attempted to set fire to the Orthodox church.
A group of unidentified individuals defaced the shrine with graffiti similar to "No pasaran" (They shall not pass – ed.) and crossed out the holy crosses.
According to reports from the scene, Vadym Abramov also visited the UOC faithful before the evening service. The man continued to threaten Orthodox Lviv residents, this time without an automatic weapon.
🔴On May 2, 2022, unknown vandals once again desecrated the Church of St. Vladimir the Great in Lviv.
According to reports from the scene, the inscription "ROC – sect" was written on the Orthodox relic. The symbols "Z" and "V" were painted on the church. These are symbols banned in Ukraine and used to mark Russian troops.
(Source: Project "DOZOR na Pershomu Kozatskomu")
🔴On May 29, 2022, while Orthodox Lviv residents were praying at the Liturgy, another provocation occurred.
According to reports from the scene, several women entered the church and began humiliating and insulting the believers of the canonical Church.
They also resorted to provocations against displaced persons who came to pray on this day. An elderly woman, forced to leave the Kharkiv region by the war, fell ill. Furthermore, obscenities were scrawled on the church door.
🔴On June 5, 2022, unknown provocateurs stuffed postcards containing anti-church propaganda into the door of the Church of St. Vladimir the Great in Lviv.
🔴On June 19, 2022, unknown vandals set fire to the Church of St. Vladimir the Great in Lviv.
Fifteen minutes before curfew (10:45 PM), an explosion was heard, and then the church burst into flames. Representatives of the UOC believe a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the roof of the church.
Firefighters arrived at the scene and contained the fire. Orthodox Lviv residents were allowed to quickly enter their holy place and attempt to save icons and church utensils.
The church was severely damaged. The roof suffered the most, having to be almost completely torn off. Police advised believers to "protect themselves."
🔴On July 6, 2022, an order from OVA Chairman Maksym Kozytskyi regarding the re-registration of the charter of the Orthodox Church of St. Prince Vladimir in Lviv to the OCU was published on the Lviv OVA website.
In a comment to the publication Zaxid, Volodymyr Bachinsky, secretary of the Lviv branch of the OCU, stated that parishioners of the church allegedly gathered for a meeting in June and decided to transfer to its structure. At the same time, no one from the actual church community held any meeting.
🔴On March 9, 2023, Lviv City Council deputies transferred the land plot under the Church of St. Vladimir, to OCU activists.
🔴The OCU declared its intention to effectively destroy the church and build its own structure in its place.
🔴On April 4, 2023, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi announced the planned demolition of the church by municipal companies.
(Source: Andriy Sadovyi's Telegram channel)
🔴On April 5, 2023, demolition of the church began early in the morning.
UOC parishioners were not even allowed to take church utensils and personal belongings. An OCU cleric who visited the church stated that "there is nothing inside."
The walls were demolished and destroyed using an excavator bucket. The area was leveled using tracked vehicles.
The SBU released a TikTok video threatening those who celebrate Christmas on January 7.
In the United States, a large-scale video investigation has been released into alleged crimes committed by the OCU and state authorities against the UOC.
Comrades of the "Svoboda" extremist from the Ukrainian Armed Forces deliberately fired on a UOC church because "the Moscow Patriarchate is not a church."
By order of the Ukrainian authorities, the church was destroyed and looted.