In Odessa, supporters of the OCU announced the renaming of a church seized from the UOC

Representatives of the OCU announced their intention to change the name of the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Odesa, which was taken from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The OCU believes that the church, located on the grounds of a military hospital, cannot be named after a holy prince from the era of Kievan Rus’.

OROBETS, a cleric of the OCU, commenting on the seizure of the site that took place on June 23, 2026, stated that the church will henceforth bear the name of St. Agapitus of Kyiv-Pechersk. In his videos, published after the shrine came under the organization’s control, he referred to the participants in the action as “true parishioners,” including veterans and chaplains.

In addition, representatives of the OCU expressed dissatisfaction with the church’s interior decoration, particularly the presence of frescoes depicting the royal martyrs and “Russian saints,” calling them “markers of Moscow’s religious life.” In turn, Deacon Andriy Palchuk, a spokesperson for the Odesa Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), described what happened as a “blatant seizure of the church” by people who have no connection to the parish. According to him, during the confrontation, the raiders used physical force against the secretary of the Odessa Diocese.

As a reminder, on June 23, 2026, in Odesa, representatives of the OCU, with the support of private security forces, seized the church dedicated to St. Alexander Nevsky. The seizure of the church was led by the so-called OCU chaplain, Theodore Orobets.