Head of Donetsk Diocese of OCU seizes UOC church in Kyiv

The head of the Donetsk Diocese of the OCU, Serhiy Horobtsov, announced that he had taken control of the Church of the Martyr John the Warrior of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the Bykivnia district of Kyiv. According to the statement of the OCU hierarch Sergei Gorobtsov, made on February 14, 2026, the event took place after the «re-registration of the community.» However, representatives of the UOC claim that the actions were committed by people who are not related to the parish and challenge the legitimacy of both the seizure itself and the re-registration that preceded it.

According to Horobtsov, the head of the OCU, Sergei Dumenko, offered him «to head this complex for the full-fledged location of the Synodal Department of Social Service of the OCU.» Horobtsov claims that the crowd of people in balaclavas who cut the church door with a grinder are «believers» who «for the first time fully gathered in their church for a joint prayer in the Ukrainian language.» He also emphasized that Bykivnia is a burial place for victims of the totalitarian Soviet regime, and it was «a painful dissonance for the community to realize that on this land consecrated by suffering, a prayer could be heard nearby not for their own people and their heroes.»

At the same time, according to media reports, the people who broke down the doors of the church and held a «service» there have no relation to the religious community of the UOC. This is confirmed by photos posted by Eurosolidarity Kyiv City Council deputy Oleksandr Suprun on his Facebook page, which shows a group of young people inside the church, some of whom are wearing balaclavas and hoods.

In addition, the invaders have been looting the church all day and are preparing to seize the house where the rector of the UOC community, Archimandrite Pavel (Sergeev), lives.

These events are taking place against the backdrop of Decree No. 1107 of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) of November 4, 2025, signed by the head of the KCSA Timur Tkachenko, which orders the re-registration of the UOC community of the Martyr John the Warrior to the OCU. The document states that the re-registration is based on a meeting of the UOC community that allegedly took place on September 22, 2025.

However, the UOC community did not hold any meeting on the transition to the OCU either on September 22 or on any other day. The rector and parishioners of the church learned about the «transition» from the Internet, which casts doubt on the legitimacy of the KCSA’s decision and the entire process.

Earlier, we reported that activists and some Kyiv media outlets are provoking protests against the construction of a church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in honor of St. Theodore the Blessed. It is reported that fences, trailers, kiosks, and surveillance cameras have been installed on the site on Ovrutska Street. In addition, the area has already been cleared for construction, and the developers are preparing the foundation and planning to pour concrete. However, «concerned local residents» drew attention to the process and demanded that the city authorities check the legality of the construction procedures taking place on the site.