(ZENIT News / Kherson, 17.08.2024).- Russian Forces have intensified their offensive against religious symbols in Ukraine. On August 11, they destroyed the church of Saint Cyprian Martyr and Martyr Justina, in Antonivka, a locality in the Kherson region This attack is only the most recent in an escalation of aggressions, which has left numerous sacred places in the country in ruins.
The Russian missile left the church, which was rebuilt and consecrated in 2014, in rubble. The images shared by the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church, show the building totally devastated, with windows and doors ripped out, and the structure deformed by the explosion. The attack follows an attempt on August 9, when a Russian drone caused minor damages to the church, although on that occasion, the local residents were able to control the flames.
Meanwhile, in Myrnohrad, a city in the Donetsk region, Father Ivan Vasylenko rushed to save the sacred objects and works of art of the church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, anticipating another Russian attack. In an emotive message, shared on his Facebook page, Father Vasylenko, accompanied by a volunteer, documented the way they evacuated icons, pennants and other sacred objects, while expressing his anguish over the imminent destruction of a church built for the glory of God.
“Jesus, Lord our Saviour, my heart is so empty,” lamented the priest in a video, while stressing the urgency to remove sacred objects in face of the advance of the Russian Forces towards nearby Hrodivka. Among the articles rescued was a marble Angel of 1894, which has survived two World Wars and now faces a new threat.
Since the beginning of the large scale invasion in February 2022, the Russian Forces have destroyed at least 660 religious places in Ukraine, according to human rights reports. Moreover, clerics and faithful have been persecuted, detained and even killed under the Russian occupation, in what has been described as genocide in various international reports.
Despite these attacks, the Ukrainian resistance continues, with priests like Father Vasylenko fighting to preserve their spiritual heritage in the midst of the war. “Jesus, have mercy on us,” the priest prayed in his video, an appeal that resonates in all those that cling to hope in times of devastation.
