On June 2, 2022, in the city of Fastov, Kyiv region, supporters of the OCU made an attempt to seize the Intercession Church of the UOC by force. The rector of the parish, Archpriest Anatoly Kyriakidis, of Greek origin, while trying to defend the temple, was kicked in the chest by an OCU cleric. This is evidenced by a video published by the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

As Archimandrite Filaret (Yegorov), secretary of the Makarovsky vicariate of the Kyiv diocese, explained, the day before, the clergy of the OCU and their supporters held a meeting at which people who were not parishioners of the temple voted for the transfer of the allegedly religious community to the OCU.

On June 2, OCU activists blocked the entrance to the church. When the rector of the temple, Archpriest Anatoly Kyriakidis, together with the believers of the UOC community who own the temple, tried to enter inside, OCU supporters began to swear, push and kick them.

During the collision, the cleric of the OCU who participated in the seizure kicked the rector of the temple in the chest, from which he fell to the ground.

Archpriest Anatoly Kyriakidis was taken by the faithful to the parish house and an ambulance was called.

“After the first aid was given to the priest, the believers continued to perform akathists. At this time, the adherents of the OCU, using a grinder, began to cut the lock from the door to the sham part of the temple,” said Archimandrite Filaret.

The clergy of the UOC called the National Police. Law enforcement officers, having talked with the clergy of the UOC, found out that the community has all the necessary legal documents for the Intercession Church. The police allowed the UOC parishioners inside the church for worship.

Thus, the community defended the temple.