Khmelnytskyi Regional Police: It Is Impossible to Prosecute Participants in the Religious Procession

Law enforcement authorities in the Khmelnytskyi region have officially stated that there are no legal grounds for holding participants in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s religious procession—which drew thousands of people to the Pochaiv Lavra—administratively liable. Despite the regional Defense Council’s current ban on mass gatherings, the authorities acknowledged their inability to stop the procession of worshippers.

According to ZAXID.NET ( ), Lyudmila Cherevchenko, a spokesperson for the regional military administration, explained that the law permits religious ceremonies to be held in places of worship; however, the status of the procession itself remains unregulated due to the absence of designated organizers. The authorities emphasized that the pilgrims are, in fact, moving spontaneously, which prevents law enforcement agencies from applying administrative measures.

For her part, Inna Hlega, spokesperson for the Khmelnytskyi Regional Police Headquarters, confirmed that the presence of patrols near the procession of pilgrims is purely preventive in nature. The police’s main objective is to ensure traffic safety and maintain public order in order to prevent traffic accidents and provocations. According to official data, no serious violations of public order have been recorded so far during the procession’s journey.

As a reminder, Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (GESS), previously clarified the limits of religious rights under martial law, particularly regarding religious processions. He emphasized that freedom of conscience is a value guaranteed by the Constitution that cannot be restricted even during wartime, unlike freedom of assembly or freedom of speech.