OCU cleric calls to "cleanse" UOC believers from Ukraine

Nazariy Zassansky, a cleric of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), has made a harsh statement against the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), calling them «rotten» and must be eliminated for the sake of the country’s victory. Zassansky argues that without eliminating the influence of the UOC, peace in the current conflict is impossible. He stated this on his Facebook account.

The incident occurred on May 5, 2026, when Zassansky published a video message on his Facebook page, the reason for which was the funeral of the Da Vinci Battalion volunteer Yevgeny Kory. According to the OCU cleric, he performed the funeral rite, while the aunt of the deceased, being a parishioner of the UOC, insisted on inviting priests of the canonical Church. Zassansky harshly criticized the position of the soldier’s relative, calling the UOC a structure that «blessed the murder of her nephew.»

During his speech, Nazarii Zassansky characterized the UOC believers as «enemies within the country» and emphasized the need for decisive measures at the state level. «This rot needs to be purged from Ukraine,» he said, adding that a military victory would be unattainable if the religious issue is not resolved radically. The representative of the OCU also expressed dissatisfaction with the position of high-ranking officials who oppose forceful methods in the church sphere, in particular, criticizing an unidentified «general» (presumably Kirill Budanov) for incompetence in matters of faith.

As reported, on June 11, 2025, the Sosnovsky District Court of Cherkasy region held a regular hearing in the case against Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkasy and Kaniv, a hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The plaintiff is a former clergyman of the UOC, Joseph Zassansky, who in November 2024 joined the structure of the OCU. Metropolitan Theodosius is accused of «insulting the feelings of believers» and «inciting religious hatred» under Article 161, paragraph 1, of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.