A Greek Catholic media expert complained that the process of church communities “transitioning” to the OCU has practically come to a halt

Taras Antoshevsky, editor-in-chief of the Greek Catholic media outlet Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU), Taras Antoshevsky, lamented that the process of religious communities “transitioning” from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to the OCU has practically come to a halt. According to him, while in the spring of 2022 there were instances of up to 20 communities transferring per day, by 2026 this activity had practically come to a standstill. He spoke about this in a comment to Espreso.tv.

The expert notes that in 2024–2025, there were entire months during which not a single transfer was recorded. According to him, monitoring the process has become extremely difficult due to delays in official registration; however, the overall trend is clear—the dynamic has given way to stagnation.

Antoshevsky is particularly concerned about attempts by previously re-registered parishes to return to the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church through lawsuits. ““If the transition was not legally sound, the losing party can easily reverse the situation through the courts,” Antoshevsky emphasizes. As an example, the expert cites the Poltava region, where a case regarding the return of a church has reached the highest courts. According to the expert, such precedents indicate that the UOC retains significant influence in the country, using legal mechanisms to maintain its positions.

As a reminder, the Supreme Court of Ukraine ruled to remand for further consideration the case concerning the legality of the “transfer” of the Holy Dormition Religious Community of Kremenchug from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the OCU. The legal battle, initiated by the rector of the UOC parish, Archpriest Sergei Bogaychik, continues despite previous rulings by the courts of first and appellate instances.