In Odessa, the OCU plans to “re-consecrate” the seized church and replace the icons

Representatives of the OCU, who took control of the St. Alexander Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Odesa on June 23, announced radical changes to the church’s interior. According to the Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the new owners intend to conduct a “re-consecration” of the church and replace icons that they consider undesirable.

In their official statement, representatives of the Odesa Diocese of the OCU justified this decision by claiming that St. Alexander Nevsky was allegedly used as a tool of Russian propaganda. In response, a statement from the UOC emphasizes the historical inaccuracy of such claims, pointing out that Alexander Nevsky lived in the 13th century, was Prince of Kyiv, Novgorod, and Vladimir, and a direct descendant of Prince Vladimir the Great.

The authors of the publication note the blasphemous nature of these actions, emphasizing that Saint Alexander Nevsky is venerated throughout the Orthodox world. As evidence of this, they cite the fact that the head of the OCU attended divine services in cathedrals consecrated in honor of this saint, specifically in Bulgaria and Slovakia, where the services were led by hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In addition to the “re-consecration” of the building, the new representatives of the church announced their intention to replace the wall frescoes depicting saints who do not align with their ideological views.

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.