All through over three years of the Russia-Ukraine warfare, there was a tragic and tragic pattern of church buildings being struck by missiles, drones, or bombs on each side of the battle.
However assaults on non secular websites have gone all the best way again to 2014, and the beginning of the battle within the Donbass, which noticed pro-Kiev forces incessantly shelling Russia-aligned areas, together with assaults on Orthodox church buildings.
And naturally, since then the Ukraine authorities has actively and overtly persecuted Ukraine’s largest Orthodox church for merely sustaining religious communion with the Moscow Patriarchate.
Well-known, historic monasteries have been shut down or seized by authorities, monks expelled, and church buildings have been raided by far-right nationalist militant teams. As for the opposite facet, Russian aerial raids have typically devastated entire Ukrainian neighborhoods, together with destruction of native church buildings.
In a contemporary incident, Russian authorities and media sources say a Ukrainian drone was despatched throughout the border and struck an iconic, historic church in Belgorord area, which set the church on fireplace.
Native Belgorod governor Vyacheslav issued a press release on Telegram Saturday saying “the enemy is placing our holy websites once more – an enemy drone has attacked Saint George Church within the village of Tolokonnoye.”
Emergency crews have been in a position to extinguish the blaze, however not earlier than the church’s domes caught on fireplace…
Earlier, Russia claimed a church was hit by FPV drones in Belgorod area.
The St. George the Victorious Church within the village of Tolokonnoe caught fireplace. The flames have been rapidly put out and no-one was injured. pic.twitter.com/jDlSCWZmOA
— Tim White (@TWMCLtd) May 3, 2025
Friday into early Saturday noticed Ukrainian forces launch over 40 drones and a few 150 artillery shells in Russia’s southern Belgorod area. Together with neighboring Kursk, Belgorod has seen repeat incursions by Ukraine’s navy over the course of the warfare.
Whereas it is not possible to verify whether or not all these assaults on church buildings have been ‘deliberate’ and focused, Russian authorities imagine that is the case, given an much more well-known church was only recently destroyed:
Final Thursday, the enduring New Jerusalem Orthodox church complicated within the area burned down following a Ukrainian drone strike. Commenting on the incident on the time, Gladkov described it as a “deliberate” assault and in addition accused the Ukrainian navy of subsequently focusing on the firefighters who have been attempting to comprise the blaze.
The New Jerusalem Church complicated within the village of Sukharevo was totally manufactured from wooden and so went up in flames rapidly. That did clearly appear a focused assault given Ukrainian drones dropped explosives instantly on it.
❗️‘New Jerusalem’ orthodox church attacked by Ukraine UAV burnt to the bottom in Russia’s Belgorod area.
⚠️The Ukrainian Armed Forces reportedly attacked the temple at the least twice, stopping native residents and firefighters from placing it out. On the time of the assault, 4… pic.twitter.com/GB8hunxt49
— Russian Embassy in South Africa 🇷🇺 (@EmbassyofRussia) April 25, 2025
At the moment, Moscow and Kiev are nonetheless removed from agreeing on a ceasefire. President Zelensky has accused his Russian counterpart Putin of taking part in a “sport” with presents of very restricted, 3-day ceasefires. Kiev as an alternative desires to start out with a month-long truce, however Russia has described this as a pretext for Ukraine forces rearming and replenishing alongside the entrance traces.
“That is extra of a theatrical efficiency on his half. As a result of in two or three days, it’s not possible to develop a plan for the subsequent steps to finish the warfare,” Zelensky has stated in his newest assertion.
