OCU Synod announces defrocking of UOC-KP head Nikodymyr Kobzar

The Synod of the OCU, led by Epiphany Dumenko, decided to defrock the head of the UOC-KP, Nikodym Kobzar, and a number of other representatives of the organization. The OCU characterized the activities of the Kyiv Patriarchate as an attempt to split and called on supporters to ignore any of their initiatives.

According to the press service of the OCU, the decision was made on May 11, 2026. In addition to Nikodim Kobzar, the following «bishops» were deprived of their priestly status Mikhail Kovaliuk and Nikon Grablyuk, who were accused of arbitrariness and canonical violations. The official statement of the OCU secretariat emphasizes that the UOC-KP ceased to exist legally in 2018, and the current actions of its supporters are called «an unsuccessful attempt by a marginal group to generate schism» in which the OCU leadership sees the influence of Russian interests.

At the same time, the Synod relieved «Bishop» Epiphanius Dimitriou of Olbia of his duties as vicar of the Kyiv diocese. It is reported that the hierarch, who permanently resides in Greece, has been transferred to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which was confirmed in writing by Patriarch Bartholomew. It is worth noting that the conflict between the structures is protracted: earlier, the UOC-KP stated that the OCU had no canonical continuity.

Earlier, the head of the UOC-KP, Nikodim Kobzar , published an open letter in which he criticized the so-called Unification Council of 2018, which resulted in the creation of the OCU. He noted that the council, which was led by a hierarch of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and held under pressure from the Ukrainian authorities, was non-canonical because it did not comply with the Charter of the UOC-KP. Accordingly, in his opinion, the act of liquidation of the UOC-KP is not legitimate.