03 January 2026
(Consequences of the shelling of a church by Russian troops in Kherson. Photo: Ivan Hordienko)
Russian troops shelled the territory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Kherson.
Photos of the aftermath were posted by the rector of the church, Ivan Gordienko, on his Facebook page on January 3.
The church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Kherson came under fire from Russians: Ivan Hordienko
According to him, the shelling damaged the outbuildings on the territory of the church, including the kitchen, summer refectory and restroom. There is no information about injuries or deaths.
The rector also noted that this is at least the fifth shelling of the church. Due to constant attacks, there are almost no surviving windows, although the walls of the buildings are still standing.
It is worth recalling that in the summer, Russian troops attacked the territory of St . Sophia Church in Kherson. As a result of the hit, the wooden cells caught fire and burned to the ground.
According to the Opendatabot platform, there are currently 328 churches in the Kherson region that have ties to the Moscow Patriarchate.
Most of the Moscow Patriarchate 's centers are in Kherson and surrounding communities (49), in Beryslav district (31), Novotroitske (29), Kakhovka (24), and Skadovske (20). Another 18 churches are registered in the area of Nova Kakhovka, 17 in the Holoprystan community, and 14 near Henichesk.
In the south of the country, the situation remains indicative. In Odesa region, according to analysts, there are 411 churches of the Moscow Patriarchate. In Mykolaiv region, there are 189 such communities, and in Kherson region - 328, despite the war, the occupation of part of the territory and the state's declared course of breaking with religious structures associated with the Russian Federation.
Ірина Глухова