Details of the attack on a priest in Kryvyi Rih revealed
The Gospel saved the priest from a fatal blow.
The UOJ has learned new details about the attack on a UOC priest that occurred in Kryvyi Rih on October 6, 2025. According to Archpriest Volodymyr Zlatov, rector of the Church of the Holy Hieromartyr Onuphrius, the attacker was a man registered at a psychiatric dispensary.
“He was standing in the church from the very beginning of the Liturgy, pretending to pray. During the Little Entrance, he pulled an axe from under his jacket and headed toward the altar. When I turned around with the Gospel in my hands, the attacker struck. The handle of the axe hit the Gospel, and the blade struck my mitre,” Fr. Volodymyr recounted.
Fortunately, the blow was not forceful – the Gospel book and the mitre softened the impact. The priest reacted quickly and was not injured.
The attacker is presumed to be a serviceman, though the police have not confirmed this information. The alleged motive is said to be revenge linked to personal issues, but the priest himself had no connection to them – the man simply attacked the first person he saw.
As previously reported, a UOC priest in Kryvyi Rih was attacked with an axe during the Liturgy.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Church of the Holy Hieromartyr Onuphrius in Kryvyi Rih was consecrated in 2023.
