The Russian Orthodox Church is expanding its influence in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In Melitopol, it has taken over the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Andrew the First-Called, which is situated at the intersection of Kalinin Street and Bohdan Khmelnytsky Avenue.
The occupation administration scheduled the "opening" of the shrine for July 28, coinciding with the day of the Baptism of Rus and St. Prince Volodymyr according to the old calendar, as reported by RIA Pivden.
The first service in the church was conducted by Fr. Maksim Smirnov, a well-known collaborator who is suspected by the SBU of cooperating with the enemy. He has been known to absolve police traitors of their sins during the occupation, bless Russian soldiers for killing defenders of Ukraine, and consecrate weapons for the occupiers. Smirnov also encouraged residents of Melitopol to participate in the pseudo-elections for the Russian presidency and to vote for the occupying authorities. In October 2024, he spoke at a "round table on Slavic culture" organized by Russian propagandists.
The forced expulsion of the OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine) from Melitopol began in 2022, immediately after the city was captured. In October of that year, during the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God, Russian military and FSB officers stormed the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called. They acted on a denunciation that the service was being conducted in Ukrainian. The armed invaders conducted a search, seized surveillance cameras, and interrogated Priest Sviatoslav Pitersky, ultimately expelling him from the city for refusing to accept a Russian passport.
Pitersky was declared an "extremist" for not publicly acknowledging the results of the fake "referendum."
He continues to serve in one of the OCU churches in Zaporizhzhia.
It is important to note that there were two OCU churches in Melitopol, both of which have now been seized. In total, the occupiers have closed at least 18 churches, some of which have been repurposed for military or administrative use.