Khmelnytskyi Regional Military Administration Reports on Number of Religious Communities "Switching" to the OCU

According to the Khmelnytskyi Regional Military Administration, since the beginning of the military actions in Ukraine, the region has experienced a «significant reshaping of church communities.» In particular, 304 churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) have «joined» the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). This was reported by Suspilne Khmelnytskyi.

The administration’s press service states that, since February 24, 2022, a total of 340 religious organizations in the Khmelnytskyi region have «left the ranks of the UOC.» Of these, the majority — 304 communities — «decided to transfer» to the OCU, while 26 chose independent status.

Nearly three thousand religious organizations currently operate within the Khmelnytskyi region. Among them, the largest number are OCU communities — 724, followed by UOC communities — 619, Roman Catholics — 154, Greek Catholics — 83, and Protestant confessions totaling 350 organizations.

Earlier reports indicated that on May 21, 2025, deputies of the Khmelnytskyi City Council filed a complaint with the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police regarding the visit of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, to the city. According to the elected officials, the UOC is engaged in sabotage activities in favor of Russia and is «covering Russian military personnel.»