Another clergyman of the OCU has defected to the UOC-KP

On July 24, 2026, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church–Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Nikodim Kobzar, officially announced the admission of a new cleric to the “Kyiv Patriarchate.” A former representative of the OCU (Constantinople Patriarchate)—“Protodeacon” Maxim Vasilyevich Bondarchuk, who had been serving in the Rivne region—has joined the organization’s clergy. , Kobzar announced this on his Telegram channel.

It is reported that the decision was made at the personal request of Maxim Bondarchuk and was supported by the head of the UOC-KP. In his statement, Nikodim Kobzar emphasized the importance of gradually strengthening and consolidating the UOC-KP.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the parish of St. Seraphim of Sarov in the village of Zachepilivka, Poltava Oblast—which had previously been part of the OCU—officially joined the UOC-KP. This decision reportedly led to pressure, smear campaigns, threats, and attempts at “church raiding” by the OCU against the congregation and its rector. Nicodemus Kobzar, the temporary administrator of the Poltava Diocese of the UOC-KP, welcomed this transition, calling it “an act of courage,” and expressed his support for the parishioners.