"A group of armed special forces, cloaked in masks and wielding weapons, encircled the Roman Catholic chapel," the bishop said, describing the dramatic event.

With determined force, they "broke down the door and broke into the chapel and began a search," Bishop Szyrokoradiuk said.

Russians, who are occupying the region, declared that their actions constituted a deliberate operation designed to counteract terrorist activities. Russia occupies Crimea and parts of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolayiv and Zaporizhzhya oblasts, or regions.

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"Nothing has changed — the great bulk of Russian forces are still here, as fighting flares intermittently and people still die," said Bishop Stanislav Szyrokoradiuk of Odessa-Simferopol.

"The east and south of Ukraine are areas of greatest Russification in Ukraine and have always been the main object of Russian interest. So the situation remains insecure — no one knows what will happen."

Diplomatic efforts to persuade Russia to scale back its buildup on Ukraine's eastern border continue. Current estimates indicate Russia has more than 100,000 military personnel at the border.

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