Russian army destroys or damages 704 religious sites in Ukraine during war

This was reported by Olena Kovalska, deputy head of the Office of the President, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, according to Ukrinform.

"As of the end of 2025, as a result of Russian aggression, 704 churches, houses of prayer, synagogues, mosques, and places of worship of various religions, primarily Orthodox, were destroyed or damaged, some of them deliberately; During the occupation of parts of the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions in the spring of 2022, numerous cases of desecration of religious buildings were recorded," Kovalska said.

According to her, about 200 churches and houses of worship were completely destroyed, “among them historical and architectural monuments, including wooden ones, which burned down from artillery strikes.”

As reported, on August 20, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 8371 banning religious organizations associated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to the SSU press service, since the start of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, criminal proceedings have been opened against more than 100 clergymen of the UOC (MP), almost 50 of them have already been notified of suspicion, and 26 have received court sentences.

Photo: National Police