Four people were taken to hospital and at least 20 injured after hundreds of Orthodox Christians fought for control of a church in Ukraine.

The fighting, in St Michael's Cathedral in Cherkasy which is affiliated to Russia and which is Ukraine’s largest church, lasted for six hours.

Priests and worshippers are said to have traded blows with fire extinguishers and chairs as worshippers from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOCMP) fought each other for control of the building.

A Metropolitan (bishop) of the Moscow-affiliated church, Feodosy Snigirev was among the injured, along with a military chaplain who is reported to have been hit over the head with a plank. A statement from the

In a statement the UOC said that Metropolitan Snegiryov, who was under house arrest on charges of collaborating with the Russian invasion in 2022, had suffered head injuries and chemical burns when masked men entered the church on October 17 during an evening service. The statement said Ukrainian police had “observed and failed to intervene”, and urged the United Nations and European Union to react to “blatant acts of lawlessness, aggression and hatred towards believers”.

Supporters of the Ukrainian church eventually gained control of the building.

There’s been tension between the two denominations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The UOCMP is affiliated to the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader Patriarch Kirill has been outspoken in his support of the invasion calling it a “holy war.”

Animosity escalated further after President Zelensky approved a ban in August 2024 on all Ukrainian religious organisations linked to Russia.