UOC deacon dies in Finland after saving child from drowning
UOC Deacon Vladyslav Volkov. Photo: open sources
On June 21, 2026, a tragedy involving Ukrainian Orthodox Church Deacon Vladyslav Volkov occurred in Finland. UOC priest Sylvester Shevchenko reported this on Facebook.
While resting by the water, the cleric saw a child caught in a whirlpool and beginning to drown. Vladyslav immediately rushed to help, managed to pull the child out of danger, but was unable to make it back to shore himself.
The deceased cleric is survived by two small children, aged three and one, and he was the only son of his parents. Those who knew Vladyslav recall that from childhood he actively participated in church life, served as an altar boy, later graduated from seminary, and was ordained a deacon. His loved ones call his act a manifestation of the very sacrificial love that Christ Himself revealed to humanity.
As the UOJ reported, one of the oldest clergymen of the UOC has reposed in the Lord.
Read also
Ostapenko: Everyone in UCCRO feels fine except the “FSB UOC”
The director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve called the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches “a wonderful organization.”
Khmelnytskyi Eparchy donates funds for treatment of 12-year-old girl
UOC believers raised UAH 20,000 for Anastasiia Mamchur as part of an eparchial charity campaign.
Shevchuk: We had to convince world UOC ban does not violate religious freedom
The UGCC head claims that by banning the UOC, the state is not violating religious freedom but merely protecting the Church’s faithful from Moscow propaganda.
Lavra reserve head estimates damage to Dormition Cathedral at €15 million
Maksym Ostapenko said restoring the Dormition Cathedral would take at least a couple of years and require major funding.
DESS official says state should not govern the Church
A DESS official called for cooperation between the state and the Church for the benefit of citizens.
Poltava court upholds mobilization of Protestant pastor
A court in the Poltava region ruled that a prior criminal conviction and religious beliefs do not exempt a person from military service.