Administrative case opened against organizer of UOC religious procession in Chernivtsi region

In the Chernivtsi region, law enforcement agencies drew up an administrative report against the organizer of a religious procession of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which took place on February 5, 2026, in Bukovyna. The incident is related to a prayer procession of believers to the hermitage in honor of St. Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg in the village of Molnitsa, which, according to the police, is a violation of the current ban on mass gatherings under martial law. It is noted that the OCU also commented on the incident, linking it to the alleged “Russian influence.”

According to ZAXID.NET, a report was drawn up against the organizer of the procession under Article 185-1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses “Violation of the procedure for organizing and holding meetings, rallies, street marches and demonstrations.” Police spokeswoman Karolina Marysheva clarified that the decision of the Defense Council of the Chernivtsi region of August 12, 2022, prohibits the holding of religious processions during the period of martial law.

The prayer procession, which was attended by several hundred pilgrims, mostly young people, began in the village of Ostrytsia near Chernivtsi. The believers covered about 15 kilometers to take part in the evening service in a skete located near the Bancheny Monastery in the village of Molnytsia, on the eve of the day of memory of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg.

Representatives of the OCU publicly reacted to the incident, claiming “Russian influence” in the Hertsaiv community. The odious cleric of the OCU Roman Hryshchuk called the veneration of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg and Matrona of Moscow “beacons of the Russian world” and “a litmus test of belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church,” which, in his opinion, attributes the Orthodox to “supporters of the Russian world.”

We recently reported that in the city of Kovel, Volyn region, a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was brought to justice “for organizing and holding a religious procession without the appropriate permission of the local authorities.” The subject of the trial was the fact that the religious procession was held on the territory of the local hospital, where the St. Panteleimon Church of the UOC, of which the clergyman is the rector, is also located.