All parishioners of the UGCC have been evacuated from Myrnohrad in the Donetsk region. A priest and volunteers remained and are working to evacuate the church.
This was reported by Fr. Ivan Vasylenko on his Facebook page, according to the Information Department of the UGCC.
On August 11, the church's iconostasis and all the valuables were dismantled to be transported to Dnipro.
Among the valuable things that will be evacuated from the church, the priest showed a marble angel, dated 1894, which survived two world wars only to face another one.
"We are beginning the evacuation of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. It pains me, and my heart feels empty. We have to take the iconostasis, icons, banners, library, and all the consecrated things out of Myrnohrad and from the Donetsk region in general. This church was built for the glory of God and the salvation of human souls. The enemy is near. There's nothing else we can do," said the priest.
"We were praying here this very day, hugging each other and crying. Then people left. I am the only one remaining. Now we are going to dismantle the icons with the man who helped with the construction," he added.
Despite everything that happenned, the parish continues to support local residents by providing humanitarian aid. At 15:00 every day, a social wardrobe opens at the church, where local residents can receive clothes and food.