Volyn Reports on the Number of UOC Parishes in the Region

As of early 2025, the Volyn region has 503 religious organizations affiliated with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), while the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) has 640 officially registered parishes. According to data from the Department of Culture, Religion, and Nationalities of the Volyn Regional Military Administration, 33 UOC parishes “joined” the OCU in 2023–2024. Of these, 22 made the transition in 2023, and 11 more in 2024, “after completing all legal procedures.” This information was provided to the Center for Investigative Journalism “Power of Truth.”

The spokesperson of the OCU’s Volyn Diocese, Viktor Pushko, noted that religious communities “tend to change affiliation more actively following significant events.”

“It’s a natural process. The largest number of transitions happened in two moments: when the Tomos was granted, and in 2022, when the full-scale war began. These were moments that brought the issue to the forefront. So, those communities that truly wanted to switch have already done so. But even now, there are cases where communities are undecided and hesitant,” Pushko explained.

He added that the process continues, partly due to ongoing informal communication with UOC parishioners and clergy, in which details of the transition are explained.

“We are aware of the communities that genuinely want and plan to join,” the spokesperson added.

Pushko also noted that most UOC parishes remain in the northern part of the region:

“The majority of Moscow Patriarchate parishes are still in the north of the region, as the southern areas have already almost completely switched. In villages where there was only one church, in almost all such cases the communities have joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.”

It should be recalled that Ukrainian MP Mykola Kniazhytskyi, a member of the European Solidarity party, has expressed dissatisfaction that most UOC parishes have still not shown interest in transitioning to the OCU. He links this situation to the fact that the anti-church law No. 3894 has not yet come into full force.