A church has been firebombed in central Ukraine in an attack illustrating the profound religious divisions of the country.

Molotov cocktails were hurled at the Church of SS Cyril and Methodius in Pavlograd, according to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The church, which sustained significant damage, is part of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which is under the authority of Patriarch Kirill, head of the ROC. A rival branch of the Orthodox Church, the Kiev Patriarchate, rejects Russian control and is associated with Ukrainian nationalism.

The Church statement said three Molotov cocktails were thrown, with the resulting fire damaging prayer books and the central part of the church including icons and frescoes.

Churches have become targets in the bitter conflict with the Russian-backed secessionists who plunged the country into civil war in 2014. Ukrainian Orthodox churches have been subjected to arson attacks by pro-Russian activists, with the Church of the Transfiguration in Kiev damaged in May. Moscow Patriarchate churches have been destroyed or damaged in fighting in the south east of the country.

While a ceasefire struck in Minsk last year has largely eliminated full-scale battles, low-level fighting and skirmishes have continued along the de facto front line in the east of the country. Efforts to secure a lasting peace and the return of Ukrainian territory have so far failed.