Ecumenical prayer with participation of OCU, RCC, UGCC, Protestants, Muslims and Jews held in St. Sophia of Kyiv

on February 24, 2026, on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an ecumenical event was held at the historic St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, heads of various religious denominations – the OCU, UGCC, RCC, as well as representatives of the Jewish, Muslim and Protestant communities – united in a “common prayer.” The event was also honored by the presence of the leaders of nine European states and the leadership of the European Union.

According to Ukrinform, the prayer meeting was opened by the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko. In his prayer, he called: “Give us victory in Your name and establish a just peace. Send the formidable leader of Your heavenly army, the Archangel Michael, to help our courageous defenders, so that they may destroy the diabolical plans of the aggressor.” Vitaliy Kryvytskyy, a representative of the RCC, and Yosyp Milian of the UGCC took the floor next.

Pastor Anatoliy Kozachok, representing the evangelical Christians, asked for wisdom for the Ukrainian leadership: “So that all the decisions they will make could not be miscalculated by the enemy, and so that all their decisions, Lord, would make a powerful breakthrough for the development of our country.” The Muslim community was represented by Sheikh Ahmed Tamim, who prayed: “God grant us victory over the enemy for the sake of Muhammad, Jesus and Moses.” The Jewish community was represented by Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, who read the 35th Psalm of David.

As reported, on November 22, 2025, the head of the OCU held joint religious events with representatives of the UGCC and the RCC in Kyiv. The event, dedicated to the memory of the Holodomor victims, took place near the capital’s memorial and was a full-fledged joint “worship service” that raises questions from the point of view of Orthodox canons.