In Volyn, supporters of the OCU have been unable to take over a UOC church—which local authorities re-registered on their behalf—for the second year in a row due to their small numbers

In the town of Kamin-Kashirsky in the Volyn region, a protracted conflict continues over the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is an 18th-century architectural landmark. Despite the fact that, with the assistance of local authorities, the UOC religious community and the church were re-registered under the OCU, representatives of Dumenko’s organization have been unable to effectively take possession of the building for two years due to the small size of their congregation.

According to Insider Media, citing Volyn Regional Council deputy Andriy Bokoch, the conflict over the wooden church began back in 2019. At that time, parish meetings were marred by threats, aggression, and law enforcement intervention. In September 2023, the Volyn Regional State Administration officially registered the community’s charter in its new version—as a community of the OCU; however, representatives of the UOC, whose opinion was not taken into account during the so-called territorial assembly, refused to recognize these changes and set up a picket line near the church.

So far, OCU supporters have not managed to physically seize the church, so they decided to seek the right to use the religious building through the courts. According to the deputy, on June 3, the 34th hearing took place in the Kamen-Kashirsky District Court, which was postponed once again. The reason was yet another change of attorney by the party opposing the transition to the OCU. The next hearing is scheduled for June 11.

The situation has drawn the attention of regional authorities. As Andriy Bokoch notes, the Volyn Regional Council’s temporary oversight commission has already decided to appeal to the Security Service of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and the National Police. The agencies are being asked to provide a legal assessment of the actions of individuals who are obstructing the work of state bodies and have three times prevented the audit commission from entering the church premises.

As a reminder, earlier, Ukrainian MP Ihor Huz initiated an appeal to the government and law enforcement agencies demanding that the complex of buildings of the Miletsky Monastery in the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese be returned to state administration. According to the parliamentarian, representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) continue to occupy the monastery premises despite the expiration of the lease.