No mass transition to the OCU in Rivne region, says MP

Ukrainian MP Solomiia Bobrovska stated that «despite the full-scale war,» there has been no significant shift of religious communities from the UOC to the OCU in the Rivne region. According to her, «the structure subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church» still holds strong positions in the area. She made these comments during a broadcast on the Suspilne TV channel.

«A vivid example of this is the situation in Rivne region. I don’t see any mass transitions. The registry is publicly available, and it clearly shows that the Moscow Patriarchate had about 450 parishes — and that number has not changed,» the MP said.

Bobrovska also claimed that the UOC’s activities include “numerous violations by its representatives,” describing it as “a powerful layer of Russian cultural presence that no one wants to confront.”

«The Holy Trinity Monastery in Mezhyrich is still under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, with many illegal annexes and unauthorized alterations to a national heritage site. Korets Monastery is also subordinated to Russia. And in what seems like a mockery, a Moscow Patriarchate church still stands on the grounds of the Ostroh Local History Museum,» she emphasized.

As a reminder, a priest of the OCU from Kostopil (Rivne region), Viktor Haiduk, is to stand trial over a scheme involving the import of vehicles meant for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Instead of delivering them as humanitarian aid, Haiduk managed to sell the vehicles to servicemen.