If the authorities denigrate the UOC, and its believers are “wrong,” why then seize their churches? This was said by Archpriest Vitaly Durov, rector of the St. Michael’s Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Zadubrovka, Chernivtsi Region, where believers have been protecting their church from being seized by OCU activists for about two years.

“When some representatives of the OCU, representatives of certain media, some representatives of the authorities denigrate our Church, call it wrong, give different reasons why we are somehow different.

However, they do not neglect to re-register our communities, take our churches, and, most surprisingly, a law was introduced that wants to deprive our Church of its name. Unclear. If we are so hateful to you, if we are somehow wrong, then why do you need ours? Build your temples, register your communities, name your church as you see fit, but don’t touch us,” the priest emphasized.