The court ruled that the Pokrovsky Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Ternopil region should be transferred to the state

The Commercial Court granted the claim filed by the Kremenets District Prosecutor’s Office, according to which an architectural monument of national significance—the Pokrovsky Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Staryi Pochaiv—must be returned to state ownership.

According to and the case materials, an “infraction” in the registration of property rights allegedly occurred in 2018, when the state registrar of one of the village councils in the Kremenets District— —“unlawfully registered private ownership rights to the religious building.” As a result of these actions, the complex of buildings and the historic church, which is protected by the state, came under the control of the Holy Intercession Religious Community of the village of Staryi Pochaiv in the Ternopil Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Church of the Holy Protection was built in 1643 and is an outstanding example of the Volhynian architectural school. The building’s uniqueness lies in the fact that it was erected on a stone foundation without the use of iron nails. The Ternopil Regional Prosecutor’s Office initiated proceedings to expropriate the monument for the state in February 2025, insisting that the transaction was illegal.

The court found the prosecutors’ claims to be well-founded and overturned the registrar’s decision, which will allow the state to regain control of its property. It is noted that the court’s decision has not yet entered into legal force.

As a reminder, we previously reported that state authorities continue to expropriate churches belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This time, the expropriation affected the St. Peter and Paul Church, an architectural monument of national significance located in the village of Moysovka in the Cherkasy region.