Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Russia has destroyed or damaged 78 churches in the Donetsk region, according to the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration (RSA), Pavlo Kyrylenko. In an interview with Ukrinform, Kyrylenko stated, "The figures are as follows: 78 temples in the Donetsk region have suffered either complete or partial destruction. Of these, 46 belong to the Moscow Patriarchate,” LB.ua reports. He reminded that during the heavy fighting for Svyatohirsk, the occupiers targeted the territory of the Holy Assumption Svyatohirsk Lavra of the UOC-MP, resulting in damage to the temple and the deaths of monks.

"What troubled me as a person was that even many clergy members of the Lavra couldn't call things by their names - who was shelling and where it was coming from - they started inventing things. Because when the first missile hit the Svyatohirsk Bridge, it was clear how it flew and where it came from. But the abbot couldn't even address those who did it in his comment - the Russian Federation, the military," he noted. (Quelle: www.risu.ua, 18. Juni 2023)