"The unknown persons set on fire the St. Cyril and Methodius church in Pavlograd of the Dnepropetrovsk eparchy. The attackers hurled three Molotov cocktails at the church premises - two at the church and another one at the altar," the statement said.
The fire destroyed a choir place with prayer books and also damaged the central part of the church, which sustained significant damage. The law enforcers have launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
The buildings of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the self-governing church of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, have been subjected to arson attacks several times. In February, unknown persons set on fire a church in the Lvov region, in western Ukraine. The building’s central part was significantly damaged. Another arson attack in May damaged the Church of Transfiguration in Kiev.