A Russian Orthodox church was ransacked and several valuable items were stolen after it was broken into.
Collection boxes for Ukrainian refugees, drawers and the church’s safe were forced open. Relics, altar vessels and crosses were stolen. The church bookstall was burgled and stock taken.
St Nicholas the Wonderworker in Oxford was burgled in the early hours of Saturday, causing a “great deal of damage”, Archpriest Stephen Platt said.
The church on Ferry Road, is a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church within the South East Deanery Deanery of the Diocese of Sourozh.
Russians living in the UK have reported a rise in xenophobic attacks and death threats following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said investigations are ongoing. No one has been arrested.
Fr Stephen shared on Facebook: “Fortunately, although the holy table was interfered with, the antimension and the tabernacle containing the Holy Gifts were left undisturbed.
A fundraiser set up afterwards has raised more than £7,000 from 200 donations.
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook/St Nicholas Church, Oxford)
