Volyn Regional Council initiates changes to legislation due to "problems of transition" of UOC religious communities to OCU

The Volyn Regional Council held a meeting of the Temporary Control Commission (TCC) to discuss «problematic issues of the transition of religious communities» to the OCU. Due to the identified procedural difficulties and conflicts in a number of districts of the region, the deputies intend to initiate changes to the relevant legislation of Ukraine to protect the interests of the OCU.

According to the publication Rayon.in.ua, citing the press service of the Volyn Regional Council, the commission considered resonant appeals from Lutsk and Kamen-Kashyr districts. In particular, in the village of Smolyhiv, complaints were recorded from supporters of the OCU about violations of their interests during the so-called parish meetings. The chairman of the commission, Volodymyr Bondar, emphasized that the current legislation in this area often works allegedly against the OCU, so «it is necessary to take a systematic approach to the preparation of the transition process and adjust the regulatory framework at the parliamentary level.»

Particular attention was paid to the situation in the village of Nichohivka, where representatives of the UOC religious community began building a church after their previous church was seized by supporters of the OCU and the temporary prayer room burned down as a result of arson. At the same time, according to the village elder, 95% of the locals allegedly joined the OCU. They also discussed the situation in the city of Kamen-Kashirsky, where supporters of the OCU, who failed to seize the local church of the UOC, have been demanding that the authorities influence the process of transferring the religious building under their control for two years.

In connection with the revealed facts, the members of the commission decided to appeal to the SBU, the Prosecutor’s Office and the National Police with a demand to give a legal assessment of actions that impede the work of state bodies and «violate the rights of OCU believers.»

As we reported earlier, on the night of Friday, April 3, 2026, a fire broke out in the village of Telchi, Lutsk district, in a temporary building used by the community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for prayer. As a result of the fire, the building was partially destroyed and the church property was damaged, but much of the utensils were saved.