In the village of Novoselivka in the Odesa region, a farewell was held for the fallen defender of Ukraine, Flaviy Lanko. Local residents planned to conduct a memorial service in the church but received a negative response. This was reported by village resident Angela Sirbu on her Facebook page, as reported by 'Glavkom'.
Relatives and fellow villagers had to conduct the priest's service outside the church as they were refused entry due to the closed gates of the church.
The rector of the Holy Protection Church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Sarata, Vladislav Shiman, explained on Facebook that the decision to not allow the burial inside was made by the local priest.
The Fate of Warriors in Churches
Flaviy Lanko was born in Moldova, served in the French Foreign Legion, and returned to Ukraine to defend it. During combat operations in the Zaporizhzhia region, he went missing in 2023, according to the rector. At that time, he was 27 years old.
Similar cases of churches refusing to conduct services for fallen defenders have occurred in other villages. In Zadubrivka and Chorna Tysa, there were similar situations where priests refused to allow bodies of the deceased to enter the churches for burial.
The events that took place in various villages indicate a complicated situation where the church denies the interment of defenders for eternal rest. The fallen warriors cannot be conducted according to the ritual inside the church due to the decisions of local priests, which causes outrage among the relatives and fellow villagers of the deceased.