Khmelnytskyi: The story of a provocation against Metropolitan Onuphry
In Khmelnytskyi, authorities and professional radicals disrupted the service of the Primate of the UOC, staging a real frenzy near the St. Nicholas Cathedral.
On May 21 and 22, 2025, a solemn celebration of the 35th anniversary of the creation of the eparchy was supposed to take place in Khmelnytskyi. His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry was planning to consecrate the St. Nicholas Cathedral in the city on the feast of the transfer of St. Nicholas's relics. But all of this had to be canceled.
On the eve of the all-night Vigil, local deputy Oleksandr Chernievych called on the townspeople to protest against the service. Here is what he wrote on his social media: «Agents of Russia in Ukraine, UOC-MP, plan to hold a sabbath in Khmelnytskyi, and this event will be led by a current member of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Onuphry Berezovsky! So, on 21.05.2025, conscious residents of Khmelnytskyi will gather at 15:00 at 2b Svobody Street near the St. Nicholas Cathedral to express their civic position! Resistance to everything Russian must be constant and everywhere!»
This message is filled with lies. UOC believers are not agents of the Russian Federation; they are Ukrainians, and the UOC is not part of the ROC, while Metropolitan Onuphry is not a member of the ROC Synod. To call a worship service a sabbath is a blasphemy and an insult to the rights of believers. And Chernievych's message is pure incitement of religious hatred and obstruction of worship (which is a criminal offense).
At 15:00 on the same day, two professional provocateurs, Yevhen Karas and Khmelnytskyi regional council deputy Viktor Burlyk, made a similar call. They published a video in which they used offensive language to urge citizens to block the St. Nicholas Cathedral and disrupt the service.
Two years ago, this pair had already staged a «transfer» of the UOC cathedral in Khmelnytskyi to the OCU. Back then, on April 2, 2023, a certain Artur Ananyev came to the cathedral, disrupted the service, splashed water on the protodeacon, and knocked the Gospel out of his hands. Parishioners forcibly removed Ananyev from the cathedral and handed him over to the police. His partner filmed the incident, lamenting that "a soldier was bwing beaten". As a result, the news spread across all pro-government media: "An AFU soldier was beaten in a Moscow church." Burlyk called on people to come to the church to "drive out the Moscow priests". Consequently, a crowd of activists gathered at the UOC cathedral, which, on behalf of the religious community, staged a fake meeting for the transition to the OCU and immediately seized the church.
On May 21, 2025, something similar could have happened. And also with the involvement of local authorities. Garbage trucks with sewage pumping machines were brought to the St. Nicholas Cathedral, blocking access to the church grounds. The selection of this equipment is quite symbolic. It is a direct insult to the feelings of believers, and it is still unknown what the organizers of this blasphemous act intended with such equipment.
And this was clearly a planned action by the local authorities. On the same day, May 21, a session of the City Council took place in Khmelnytskyi, where deputies discussed how to counter the visit of the Primate of the UOC. At the meeting, deputy Anastasia Yarova spoke, making a series of slanderous statements against the UOC, unsupported by any facts.
"It is no secret that many representatives of this Church have been involved in subversive activities; they hid Russian soldiers in their temples. We found illegal literature in the churches that transitioned in our city of Khmelnytskyi. This church incites interfaith enmity and promotes illegal agitation against Ukraine," the deputy stated.
As a result, the deputies adopted an appeal to the SBU and the National Police regarding the visit of Metropolitan Onuphry. They demanded that the law enforcement agencies «conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation of the facts we have heard and will hear."
Thus, the activists had a carte blanche for any actions at the cathedral.
A certain individual brought pig's blood to the temple and began splashing it on the gates, which depict a cross. This has nothing to do with the struggle against the UOC, «Moscow priests,» and so on. This is a direct desecration of the Christian faith. And it was committed by a young, strong man. Perhaps he truly believes that he is fighting against the «Russian world» and the aggression of the Russian Federation in this way. But for some reason, when soldiers are lacking at the front, this person did not join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and did not go to fight against the invaders with weapons in hand. No, he went to «fight» against his own fellow citizens, Ukrainian believers in Christ, defenseless women, elderly parishioners, whose only crime is that they belong to the Church of Christ and do not want to betray it. This person went to insult their feelings, to mock their faith, to blaspheme their sanctity, fully aware that they would not respond and his lawlessness would go unpunished.
Assessment of the situation
The black PR and mudslinging that the authorities and the media have directed against the UOC in recent years have led to a situation where UOC believers cannot come to pray in their church, cannot meet with their archpastor, when His Beatitude Onuphry, who called on everyone to defend Ukraine in the early hours of the war, cannot arrive to his flock.
All of this the authorities deceitfully call an “unprecedented freedom of religion” and try to convince the international community of it. The situation in Khmelnytskyi has shown a complete absence of freedom of conscience and the lawlessness faced by millions of believers who can be insulted, humiliated, and have their religious feelings trampled upon. They have become outcasts in their own country. Let us repeat: their only “crime” is that they remain faithful to Christ.
There is also a legal aspect to the issue. Despite the fact that the law prohibiting the UOC has been adopted (its illegality and inconsistency with the Constitution is a separate topic), the implementation of this ban requires the completion of a specific legal procedure. The State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience must check each community for affiliation with the ROC and issue its verdict. And the decision to ban or not to ban is made by the court. And as long as the fact of such affiliation has not been proven in court for each community, the community can carry out its activities, and the state is obliged, according to the Constitution and legislation, to protect such activities from any unlawful encroachments.
In the situation in Khmelnytskyi, as in many other cases (almost all), there was indeed such unlawful encroachment on human rights by radicals and provocateurs.
Incitement of religious hatred and obstruction of religious rites are criminal offenses. Why have the authorities not held those responsible accountable? Why have the authorities sided with these criminals?
Why have they allowed a blatant violation of the rights of Ukrainian citizens? These questions remain unanswered. But the time will come when answers will need to be given.
Perhaps, this answer will need to be given before the Constitution and laws of Ukraine. Perhaps, all these actions will go unpunished. That can happen too. But it is certain that these people will have to answer before God. What answer will they give?
Spiritual dimension
How will they justify themselves before the Almighty? What will they say to Him? That they fought for their country against their own citizens? That they expelled the «Russian world» along with God's priests? That they tried to impose the slogan: «Ukraine above all» on everyone? Does anyone seriously think that this will matter before God? No. What matters before God is something entirely different.
The Apostle Paul wrote: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Have the provocateurs and blasphemers borne this fruit? No, they have not. But what then is their fruit? The Apostle Paul also wrote about this: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
What the enemies of the Church of Christ committed in Khmelnytskyi (as in many other places) fully corresponds to this list. Hatred, enmity, strife, anger, and lawlessness — all of this we have seen in the corresponding video footage. This list ends with the terrifying words: “Those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” The enemies of the Church of Christ think they have defeated the UOC, but in reality, they have been defeated. Defeated in their own souls.
What about the UOC believers who endure all this humiliation and lawlessness? The Gospel also says about them: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12). But in order not to lose this reward, one must not allow malice, resentment, or hatred for one’s offenders to enter the heart. One must preserve humility, love, and gentleness. One must be ready to forgive. Only in this way can evil be overcome.
This is exactly what Metropolitan Viktor of Khmelnytskyi said when he came to support the believers: “Let us love one another, even those who do not love us. Let us embrace one another, even those who do not want to embrace us. Let us support one another… because God is love. And this is our main weapon.”
