On the night of October 29-30, 2026, in the village of Podyvotye in the Sevsky district of the Bryansk region, as a result of an attack by drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the wooden temple of the prophet of God Elijah burned down. This is reported by the Bryansk Diocese.
According to the rector of the church, Priest Alexander Belikov, the roof caught fire after being hit by unmanned aerial vehicles, and then the fire quickly engulfed the entire wooden building. The flames spread to a nearby brick baptismal church with prosphorna, built in 2019. The building was also completely burnt out.
The priest said that the villagers had previously been forced to leave their homes due to shelling and move in with relatives.
The history of St. Elijah's Church in Podyvotye dates back to 1643. In 1783, a new wooden church was built here at the expense of parishioners. In 1930, the church was closed, and in 1943 it burned down during the liberation of the village from the Nazi invaders.
The parish was revived in 1989. The building of the former village council, built on the site of the destroyed church, was handed over to the Orthodox community. Over time, it was converted for worship.
Thus, the temple of the prophet of God Elijah, whose history dates back almost four centuries, was again destroyed by fire.
Photo: Bryansk Diocese.