On June 4, 2022, in the village of Khoriv, Rivne region, the OCU looters attacked the Peter and Paul Church at dawn. Believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church managed to stop the raider attack. This was reported by the press service of the Rivne diocese of the UOC.

In the village of Khoriv, the former Ostrog district, an attempt to seize the Peter and Paul Church was organized by adherents of the OCU. According to eyewitnesses, a car with the necessary equipment drove into the temple at 4.30 in the morning, that is, the curfew still lasted.

“Mother Irina heard the dogs barking and went outside, and there had already been a car parked near the church,” says Svitlana Mashtalyar, a resident of Khoriv, ​​a believer in the UOC. “Orcs attacked Ukraine at dawn, and so did the OCU supporters attack our church.”

The rector`s wife called the police and began calling people to the temple.

“The OCU activists blocked the road with a car in such a way that we could not get into the territory of the temple, so our guys climbed through the roof,” says Svitlana Mashtalyar.

In the truck, the OCU supporters brought a generator, a grinder and other utensils necessary to cut the locks. The church in Khoriv is ancient, so the main entrance with massive doors and locks was beyond the strength of the raiders, they decided to cut the doors to the altar in order to capture the temple through them. However, the believers of the UOC prevented this from being done before the arrival of the police, who, according to eyewitnesses, arrived after a very long time. Believers of the UOC asked the police to take the car and utensils to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the law enforcement officers said that they did not have such authority.

“The car belongs to Alexander Golik, people under the church told him everything they think about him and his activities. The man never went to the temple, even on great holidays, but now he wanted to immediately get through the altar with a grinder,” notes Svitlana.

Law enforcement officers drew up a protocol, took testimony, the UOC believers wrote statements and provided photo and video evidence of an attempted raider seizure. Supporters of the OCU also wrote statements under the pretext that they were violating their rights.

The village headman came and offered to seal the church. However, the believers of the UOC, the legal owners of the temple, did not want to, arguing that they would resolve the dispute over the church in court.

A few weeks ago, a village meeting was held in Khoriv, ​​on the basis of which the Rivne military administration registered the newly formed community of the OCU, not taking into account the fact that the religious community of the UOC also expressed its position – not to change confessional affiliation.