Priest Nikolay Veliky still remembers the night of March 13–14, 2022.
That night, mortar fire destroyed the Holy Annunciation Church in Blagodatnoe. The Ukrainian army was retreating and struck the shrine. ‘It was a loss incomparable to anything,’ says the priest.
But even when little remained of the church, services did not stop. They were held in the surviving part of the building. 10 kilometres away were enemy trenches, yet people still came to the church. Active fighting near the settlement continued until October 2024. And in 2025, a large‑scale reconstruction of the shrine began.
This is a video from the joint project by RT.Doc and the Foundation for the Support of Christian Culture and Heritage. The documentary footage from RT.Doc will become part of the exhibition ‘Return of Light: Restored Churches of Donbass.’
