“After tear gas sprayed, I was hit on the head”

The seizure of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Theotokos in Ladyzhyn, Vinnytsia region, became one of the most resonant cases of church raiding in Ukraine. Video footage showing dozens of people in camouflage storming the church at 5 a.m. using heavy machinery, brutally beating the rector and parishioners, has been published by many Internet resources. UOJ correspondents interviewed the rector of the parish, Archpriest Yevheniy Vorobiov, to get details of the events.

We woke up from the terrifying blows to the door of the sacristy

– Several minutes after the start of the attack on the church, you were literally thrown out into the cold by the raiders, with a bloodied face and without upper clothing. What happened inside the church?

– After the first attempted storm, which occurred on New Year's Eve, we understood that another attack could be expected, so several parishioners and I spent the night in the church. The first time, supporters of the OCU failed to seize the church – people gathered and defended it. So, the raiders decided to act at 5 in the morning when there were no people. On the morning of January 9th, as soon as the curfew ended, they climbed over the fence, cut the lock on the gate, and two loaders entered the church grounds. One began to "work on" the northern door, the other – the entrance to the sacristy. We woke up from terrifying blows to the sacristy door. First, the outer door was torn off (they broke it by hand), then the loader pulled away hindering blocks and started to break the inner door with a pitchfork. The fourth blow knocked it out.

Unknown people rushed into the church, using tear gas from cans. I believe it was spray, because all my hair was covered in this pepper liquid, and it continued to drip down my forehead until evening. After the dose of gas, I received a blow to the head – I didn't even realise with what and how. I fell. They dragged me by my jacket, kicked me, and eventually pushed me out onto the street. I remember shouts: "Everyone outside the perimeter!" They acted in an organized and very fast manner. Literally within five minutes, it was all over.

– How many attackers were there in total?

The "work" was mainly done by an assault group of "activists" – about 20 people – supported by the military men. The military stood around the perimeter, not allowing us into the grounds. There were up to 100 of them. Later, another group armed with machine guns arrived in a large jeep. When the "activists" barricaded themselves in the church, all the servicemen, following their commander's orders, lined up and left in three columns.

The police officer said, "Take a step, and we'll shoot you in the head."

– After the raiders attacked the church, you called the police. How did the police behave?

– The Ladyzhyn patrol was the first to arrive. They did a good job – thanks to them, one of the loaders didn't leave the scene; the patrol blocked the road. By the way, it turned out that the machinery used during the assault belongs to the MHP company (one of the largest agro-industrial companies in Ukraine – Ed.). The raiders removed the license plates, but it didn't help. Our town is small – we even know who was behind the wheel. I saw the "Manitou" (a type of loader) that rammed the door yesterday – it's driving around the town.

After the local police, fighters from the special forces battalion "Vinnytsia" arrived from the regional centre. They stood guard at our location for several days. The "activists" showed them their raiding documents regarding the re-registration of the parish in the OCU and the ownership rights to the church, and the police sided with them.

When on the day of the seizure we tried to enter the church grounds, the "activists" wouldn't let me in, which resulted in a clash. After that, the Vinnytsia police led me to their bus and ordered me to stand there. I asked, "Am I detained?" – "No." – "So, can I go?" – "Stand here." One of them said, "Take a step, and we'll shoot you in the head. You should be beaten, beaten, and beaten, as you haven't been beaten yet." He expressed it in different words; I just can't use the exact language.

This person then came to the church every day, bringing "fresh" fighters on the bus.

I had to stand there for about 40 minutes or an hour until they released me.

– Are the assault forces of the OCU still inside the church?

– Yes. They rotate, stand guard and are provided with food. Parishioners have seen them smoking right in the sacristy. Thanks to the police, these guys feel quite comfortable. Although local media portray it as if we are allegedly "blocking" them in the church, not allowing them to leave.

I occasionally approached them and tried to talk. Recently, when I looked in, they cursed at me.

They would be willing to leave, but I live nearby with my family in the church house – they are afraid we will take the temple back.

Recently, they have returned my phones – they were in the jacket that was torn off me during the takeover. One phone – an old button one – is completely broken, and they downloaded all the information from the smartphone. They must have been waiting for a specialist who could crack the code, so they didn't return it right away.

During the liturgy in the house, OCU members shouted "Chervona Kalyna" through the windows

– A video went viral on the Internet showing a "priest" of the OCU making strange hand movements instead of the sign of the cross during the "service" in front of your church. Are these "services" still ongoing?

– The person in the video is the "dean" of the Trostianets District of the OCU. Sometimes they "perform services" but it usually still happens outdoors; they do not open the church for parishioners. The individuals participating in these "prayers" are mostly the same ones involved in the seizure. On Saturday, 13 January, their “priests” held their “service” in the church and sang a hymn there. On Sunday morning, nothing happened there but they tried to interfere with us praying in the church house. We served the liturgy, and the day before – the all-night vigil. There were a lot of people gathered on Sunday, up to a hundred people – it was stuffy, we had to open the windows. So, they (OCU reps, – Ed.) came to the windows and played “Chervona Kalyna".

– So, the liturgical life in the parish has not ceased?

– Of course, not. In the first days after the seizure of the church, our parishioners walked in a procession around the temple. And now, prayer near the shrine continues. People come, stand and pray.

– There were reports in the media that the police were investigating the seizure of the church. However, for some reason, only under the article of "self-rule".

– Well, that's an exaggeration. At least, I am not aware of any such investigation. There has been no response to our complaints so far.

In response to my statement about the attempted seizure of the church on December 28, I received a letter in which the police stated that "in this situation, there are civil legal relations" and recommended going to court. In other words, the police saw no crime in raiders cutting locks, breaking in the church over people's heads and injuring parishioners.

– On December 29, a court in Haisyn (the district centre, – Ed.) was to consider your complaint regarding law enforcers ignoring the community's statements about the illegitimacy of transferring the church to the OCU. How did the court proceedings end?

– The court ordered the Prosecutor's Office to open a criminal case on the forgery of documents based on which the authorities re-registered the parish. The meeting where the decision to "transfer" to the OCU was taken was illegal; it was organized not by our church community but by the MHP company together with the MP Mykola Kucher, and the voters were people who were not related to our church. Therefore, all their decisions and documents adopted at this meeting are sheer lawlessness.

We have already received an excerpt from the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations about the initiation of a criminal case, but no investigative actions with our participation have been conducted yet.

Lawyers who assist our community are currently preparing other lawsuits.