The Ternopil Regional Prosecutor's Office is seeking the expropriation of a church belonging to the OCU through the courts

The Buchach District Prosecutor’s Office has initiated legal proceedings in the Ternopil District Administrative Court, demanding that the state’s ownership of an architectural monument of national significance be registered — the 16th-century St. George’s Church, which is currently used by the local community of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The church is located in the village of Kasperivtsi in the Chertkov District. This was reported by , the Ternopil Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

During a prosecutor’s investigation, it was established that this historical site was included in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine pursuant to a resolution of the country’s Cabinet of Ministers dated February 18, 2026. According to the law, such monuments of national significance must be owned by the state.

At present, ownership of the St. George Church building is not registered to any entity, and the structure itself is not on the balance sheet of any organization. According to prosecutors, this legal uncertainty jeopardizes the building’s preservation and could lead to its destruction. In light of this, the court has already opened proceedings to ensure state protection of this architectural heritage.

As a reminder, the Kyiv Regional Economic Court upheld the prosecutor’s office’s position, ruling in favor of “protecting an architectural monument” of national significance—the Trinity Church, built in 1750 and located in the village of Bushevo. It is worth noting that the church in question belonged to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for a long time and was only seized in 2025 by representatives of the OCU with the support of the far-right paramilitary organization “Brotherhood.”