In the Zaporozhye region, a drone seriously damaged the outside of a rural church: only the icon of the Virgin Mary survivedtranslated

On the morning of September 7, 2026, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces entered the church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Healer” in the village of Novoukrainka, Zaporozhye region.

The published video says that as a result of the strike, significant damage was caused to the outside of the church, but the icon of the Mother of God “Healer”, which hangs at the entrance to the church, survived, the Berdyansk diocese reported on its social networks.

Icon above the entrance to the church. Image: press service of the Berdyansk diocese

“This, you see, brothers and sisters, has so damaged the metal, torn off the air conditioning, and the icon hangs in place.” The Icon of the Mother of God “Healer” is in place! “Everything is fine,” the author of the video says behind the scenes.

“According to eyewitnesses, the UAV stayed in one place for a long time, and then with an explosion destroyed the roof of the church, the air conditioner and the metal canopy over the entrance. The explosion also damaged three doors and a utility room,” the diocese’s press service said in a statement.

They noted that in addition to the icon of the Mother of God, which survived outside the church, “by the grace of God, the interior of the church remained unharmed, but due to damage to the roof after the first rain, the church inside will suffer greatly.”

Photo: press service of the Berdyansk diocese...