In Kremenchuk, the congregation of the Holy Trinity Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has appealed the decision to re-register the church

The religious community of the Holy Trinity Church in Kremenchuk held a lawful meeting and attempted to overturn decisions related to the church’s re-registration, which, according to the UOC, were adopted with the participation of outsiders. In response, representatives of the OCU alleged “hostile takeover” and appealed to the Poltava Regional State Administration to prevent any new registration actions, while the parishioners insist on the protection of their rights.

According to the Information and Education Department of the UOC, on June 4, 2026, representatives of the OCU, with police support, gained control of the Holy Trinity Church in Kremenchuk. According to the source, this was preceded by a so-called meeting attended by individuals who do not belong to the religious community, at which a decision was made to change the leadership and re-register the community in favor of the OCU.

The publication emphasizes that the true members of the community—who built the church and had been its parishioners for many years—did not approve these decisions. After temporarily losing access to the church, the believers decided to challenge what had happened and, at their own lawful meeting, to overturn what they considered to be illegitimate decisions. To this end, on June 14, the clergy and parishioners came to their church; however, they were reportedly denied entry to the church grounds.

According to the UOC, the meeting was held in the church courtyard in the presence of police officers. At the meeting, it is reported, a new chairperson, members of the parish council, and members of the audit committee were elected. These actions prompted a response from the OCU, whose representatives, according to the report, appealed to the Poltava Regional Military Administration demanding that no new registration procedures be allowed.

The statement claims that the believers who attended the meeting are allegedly not members of the congregation, and their actions are interpreted as an attempt at an “illegal takeover of a religious organization and a place of worship.” At the same time, the UOC’s statement calls this position hypocritical, since, as noted, in similar situations in the past, third parties were brought in to change the jurisdiction and control over churches.

As a reminder, on June 4, 2026, in Kremenchuk, representatives of the OCU seized the Holy Trinity Church of the UOC, which led to physical confrontations and injuries among the clergy. The incident was accompanied by a massive police presence and protests by believers who opposed the forced re-registration of the parish.