Volodymyr Zabolotnyi (priest)

Volodymyr Zabolotnyi (Ukrainian: Володимир Заболотний) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest, religious and cultural activist, and victim of Soviet persecution.

Born in the late 19th or early 20th century, Zabolotnyi served as a priest in a village within Western Ukraine, likely in the regions of Galicia, Volhynia, or Transcarpathia. Information on his specific parish and early life is scarce.

His activities focused on serving his parishioners, promoting religious life, and fostering Ukrainian national consciousness, common activities for Ukrainian Greek Catholic clergy in the interwar and Soviet periods.

Following the annexation of Western Ukraine by the Soviet Union in 1939 and the subsequent establishment of Soviet rule, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was systematically targeted for suppression. Priests, including Volodymyr Zabolotnyi, faced persecution, arrest, and deportation.

Specific details regarding his arrest, the charges against him, and the location and circumstances of his death are currently unavailable, reflecting the limited historical documentation of the Soviet repression of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He is remembered as one of many Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests who suffered for their faith and Ukrainian identity under Soviet rule.