MP Bobrovska criticizes Rivne authorities for providing premises for UOC charity event

Ukrainian MP Solomiya Bobrovska expressed outrage over a charity event in the city of Rivne organized by the Rivne Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The deputy is outraged that the city authorities provided the Church with a venue for organizing a Christmas charity concert, despite the fact that Ukraine has already passed a law banning the UOC. She wrote about this on her Facebook page.

As it became known, on January 23, 2026, a charity evening to raise funds for children with cancer was held at the Rivne City Palace of Culture «Textile Worker». One of the co-organizers of the event was the Rivne Diocese of the UOC.

The deputy recalled that in 2023, the Rivne Regional Council decided to ban the activities of the UOC in the region, and the Rivne City Council terminated the rights of the UOC to use land plots.

In this regard, Bobrovska sent a deputy appeal to the Rivne City Council to find out the grounds for granting permission to hold the event, which was co-organized by the Rivne Diocese of the UOC. In response to the request, the city council reported that it had received an appeal from a citizen asking for permission to hold a charity event, and the submitted documents did not contain information about the participation of the Rivne Diocese of the UOC. Thus, the executive committee considered the event solely as a cultural charity event and acted within its authority.

Despite the formal procedural correctness of the position of the Rivne City Council, MP Bobrovska emphasizes that it raises a number of fundamental security issues. First, a local government body has not only formal administrative, but also public-political and security obligations to the community. The participation of a religious organization whose activities are prohibited and which has institutional ties to the aggressor state cannot be reduced to the «technical» aspect of renting premises. This is a matter of national security, public trust, and the cultural and spiritual identity of the community, especially under martial law. The absence of a clear position on the part of the city council in such a sensitive issue seems inconsistent with previous decisions.

Secondly, the reference to the fact that the organizer’s application «did not contain information» about the participation of the UOC actually means that when granting the permit, the actual organizers and co-organizers of the event were not properly checked. In the context of martial law, such actions on the part of local governments cannot be considered sufficient. Elementary standards of safety and due diligence require the identification of the real entities involved in holding a mass event in a municipal institution. This is not about restricting freedom of religion or charitable activities, but about the responsibility of the authorities for transparency and legal certainty of processes in the premises belonging to the territorial community.

Solomiya Bobrovska recognizes that the charitable purpose of the event — helping children with cancer — certainly deserves support and respect. However, a noble socially significant goal cannot offset the obligation of the authorities to act responsibly, taking into account the security context and the realities of the Russian hybrid war against Ukraine. The MP calls on local governments to be guided not only by formal compliance with procedures, but also by a broader social and state vision, given the current challenges and threats facing Ukraine.

As a reminder, Solomiya Bobrovska will send an appeal to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) demanding an investigation into the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The reason for such actions was the public commemoration of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow during the service. At the same time, according to the MP, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Patriarch of Alexandria were ignored.