Poland detains suspect in cutting cross from Ukrainian church
A 29-year-old resident of Legnica is accused of stealing a cross from a UGCC church and offending the feelings of the faithful.
On September 16, 2025, in the Polish city of Legnica, law enforcement detained a man suspected of cutting off a metal cross from the dome of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos a few days earlier. This was reported by the Legnica Prosecutor’s Office, according to European Pravda.
According to the investigation, the detainee – 29-year-old Legnica resident Beniamin V., previously repeatedly convicted of property crimes – caused the church damages estimated at 40,000 zlotys. The prosecutor emphasized that by committing the theft, the suspect insulted the religious feelings of the faithful, since he desecrated a place of worship.
Law enforcement officials noted that the man had already attempted to steal property from the same Greek Catholic parish. On September 4, 2025, he climbed onto the sacristy roof, intending to remove copper elements worth about 10,000 zlotys, but was stopped by the alarm system. At that time, he also damaged property worth 2,000 zlotys. On September 9, 2025, the suspect stole aluminum ladders to prepare for cutting off the cross.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, was among the first to report the incident, expressing concern and outrage at the perpetrator’s actions. In turn, the head of the UGCC, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, arrived in Legnica on the evening of September 13, 2025, and called the incident “mockery of Ukrainians and an insult to spiritual feelings,” demanding an objective investigation from the authorities.
For the crimes he is accused of, the detainee faces between three months and five years in prison.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that a cross was cut from a UGCC church in Poland.
