A church belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was forcibly seized in the Cherkasy region

An incident involving the forcible seizure of property belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church occurred in the village of Belozorye in the Cherkasy region. Law enforcement officers and individuals in military uniforms forcibly removed clergy and worshippers from the Transfiguration Church, announcing a change in its jurisdiction. This was reported by , the Telegram channel “Dozor.”

According to published reports, the incident occurred immediately after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy. Just as a memorial service was being held in the church, security forces demanded an immediate halt to the service and that everyone leave the building, stating that the church was now under the authority of the OCU. Local authorities explained these actions by stating that a certain “congregation” had formally transferred its affiliation to the OCU.

People’s Deputy Serhiy Rudyk, a supporter of the OCU, confirmed that the first “services” would be held in the seized building in the coming days. It is noteworthy that OCU supporters in Belozorye already had their own place of worship but decided to lay claim to the UOC church. This is not an isolated incident: similar actions involving the forcible seizure of churches—often accompanied by the breaking of locks with police involvement—have been documented in other localities across the country.

As a reminder, on June 23, 2026, in Odessa, representatives of the OCU, with the support of private security forces, seized the UOC church dedicated to St. Alexander Nevsky. The seizure of the church was led by the so-called OCU chaplain, Theodore Orobets.