A court in Odessa blocked an attempt to re-register the Trinity Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The Commercial Court of the Odessa Region issued a ruling suspending the re-registration process for the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, prohibiting state registrars from making any changes to the registry until the conclusion of the legal proceedings.

The conflict surrounding the church at arose after representatives of the OCU initiated the process of changing the community’s jurisdiction. According to believers of the UOC, at the end of last year, OCU supporters held a sham parish meeting, on the basis of which the statutory documents were reissued. The relevant document was signed by OCU “Bishop” Afanasy Yavorsky.

Lawyer Alexander Ivanov characterized these actions as a “raider scheme,” explaining that the process involves selecting people who are not actual parishioners of the church, drafting minutes, and subsequently having the documents approved by the regional department of culture, nationalities, religions, and the protection of cultural heritage sites. Archpriest Maximilian Pogorelovsky, head of the missionary department of the Odessa Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, confirmed that many of the individuals listed in the minutes as members of the congregation were unaware that the meeting was taking place.

At present, thanks to a court injunction, any attempts to change the cathedral’s legal affiliation have been halted. Regular divine services continue in the cathedral, conducted by clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. A similar incident was previously reported, when the Alexander Cathedral in Odessa was seized by a private security firm.

As a reminder, on June 23, 2026, in Odessa, 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.