Court arrests OCU hierarch on suspicion of trading in fake documents to evade mobilization

The Ivano-Frankivsk City Court ruled to arrest the head of the Uzhhorod-Khust Diocese of the OCU, Kirill Mikhailuk, suspected of organizing a large-scale scheme to issue fake certificates of ordination as a deacon, which allegedly allowed men liable for military service to evade mobilization. A pre-trial restraint in the form of detention for 60 days with the possibility of bail was imposed on the defendant.

According to Blitz-Info, the decision to impose a preventive measure was made on February 19, 2026. The court partially granted the request of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to keep the suspect in custody, setting the term of arrest until April 17, 2026, and setting bail at UAH 232,960. After the verdict was announced, Mikhailiuk was immediately taken into custody in the courtroom and taken to Penitentiary Institution No. 12 in Ivano-Frankivsk.

According to law enforcement agencies, the OCU hierarch organized a scheme in which military personnel were issued «certificates» of ordination to the rank of deacon for a monetary reward of $1,000 to $2,000. These documents were supposed to entitle them to a deferral from conscription. The investigation claims that about 40 people used such fictitious certificates, which led to the distortion of military records.

If granted bail, Kyrylo Mykhailyuk will be obliged to surrender all his passports, not to leave the Zakarpattia region and refrain from contacting witnesses in the case. It is important to note that back in November 2025, the «Synod» of the OCU removed Kirill Mikhailuk from the administration of the diocese in connection with the already published materials of criminal proceedings and court decisions regarding his activities in issuing false documents.

As reported, on November 13, 2025, the Synod of the OCU decided to temporarily suspend Kirill Mykhailyuk from the administration of the Uzhhorod-Khust Diocese. The reason was accusations of unlawful obstruction of mobilization during martial law. The temporary administration of the diocese was entrusted to the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, and a special commission was set up to investigate the circumstances of the case.