Church accused of Moscow ties expelled from two parishes in western Ukraine

Police separate supporter of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, accused of being linked to Moscow, in St. George's Cathedral, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Roman Baluk

KYIV (Reuters) - A Ukrainian branch of the Orthodox church accused of ties with Russia was expelled from the premises of two places of worship on Wednesday amid rising public anger against the organisation 14 months into Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The evictions come amid spiralling tensions between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) on one side and Ukraine's government and large parts of society on the other.