Activists of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine staged a planned provocation in the church of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the city of Radomyshl in the Zhytomyr region, after which the temple was sealed, the information and educational department of the UOC reported on Saturday in the telegram channel.

"In the St. Nicholas church of the city of Radomyshl of the Ovruch diocese, activists led by the cleric of the OCU Vasily Kolishchak staged a provocation, as a result of which the temple was sealed," the UOC said in a statement.

It is noted that the supporters of the OCU broke into the church during the divine service, during a planned provocation, several men in military uniforms forcibly pushed the clergy of the UOC out of the church, after which they "poured water in their faces." It is reported that one of the activists in the church said "that it was necessary to triple the brawl", starting to push those present at the service or "arranging a fight with a policeman" so that everyone was taken out of the temple building.

According to the UOC, the raiders threatened bloodshed if the parishioners did not voluntarily leave the church. In response, the believers said that they were only defending their constitutional rights, and then - "as God wills."

Over the past year, the Ukrainian authorities have organized the largest wave of persecution of the UOC in the country's recent history. Referring to its connection with Russia, local authorities in different regions of Ukraine have decided to ban the activities of the UOC, and a bill has been submitted to the country's parliament on its actual ban in Ukraine. The authorities have imposed sanctions on some representatives of the clergy of the UOC. The Security Service of Ukraine began to open criminal cases against the clergy of the UOC, conduct "counterintelligence activities" – searches at bishops and priests, in churches and monasteries, in search of evidence of "anti-Ukrainian activity".