OCU Cleric and Head of Rivne Oblast Community Under Investigation for Corruption

On May 16, 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) detained the head of one of the territorial communities in Rivne region on suspicion of extorting an illegal bribe for assistance in land-related matters. It has been revealed that the suspect is Mykhailo Oliynyk, who, in addition to serving as the village head of the Zorya community, also acts as an off-staff cleric of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). This was reported by the SSU.

According to SSU, Oliynyk abused his official position by offering a local entrepreneur help in approving a land management project for leasing a land plot in exchange for a monetary reward. Law enforcement officers caught him red-handed receiving a bribe of $7,500.

It is known that this is not the first accusation against Oliynyk. Since 2016, he has been under investigation for receiving a bribe of 500,000 hryvnias. For eight years, court proceedings have been ongoing under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — extortion and receipt of a large bribe. A final verdict may be issued in 2025. Currently, a new criminal case has been opened against Oliynyk under Part 3 of the same article.

After his first arrest, the head of the Rivne diocese of the OCU, Illarion Protsyk, openly condemned his subordinate’s behavior, comparing him to the traitor Judas Iscariot and emphasizing the unacceptability of such actions for a clergyman. Despite this, on November 8, 2024, Oliynyk continued to “serve” in the Mykhailivskyi church of the OCU in the village of Starozhukiv, where he co-served with the same Illarion.

Previously, we reported that city authorities announced an alleged new transition of a religious community to the OCU; however, one of the mentioned churches has long been under OCU jurisdiction — in particular, under the leadership of former UOC bishop and now OCU hierarch Alexander Drabinko.