UOC Cathedral Community in Chernivtsi Appeals to President and Ombudsman to Protect Believers’ Rights Following Attempted Church Seizure

The religious community of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has submitted urgent appeals to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, requesting intervention regarding the incident that occurred on June 17. This was reported by the UOC Information and Education Department, citing BucPress Cernăuți.

The appeal describes the appearance of unknown armed individuals in balaclavas on cathedral grounds, the use of force against UOC clergy and believers, and the deployment of special equipment, pepper spray, and handcuffs. It notes that priest Roman Forost was severely beaten.

According to the community, police officials were present during the events, including Deputy Head of the National Police in Chernivtsi Oblast Sviatoslav Kishlar and Head of the Preventive Activities Department Serhiy Antonyuk, but took no action. The statement emphasizes that such behavior may constitute a criminal offense under Part 2 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The appeal cites violations of the Constitution of Ukraine (Articles 3, 28, 35, 39) and international instruments such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It underscores that state authorities are obliged to act within the law and respect human dignity and physical integrity.

The community calls on the President to initiate a review of police conduct, ensure oversight of the investigation, and prevent similar incidents in the future. Believers also ask the Human Rights Commissioner to take personal control of the situation. Photo and video evidence from June 17 has been attached to the appeals.

It is also reported that the clergy and believers of the Holy Spirit Cathedral submitted a collective complaint to the State Bureau of Investigation against Deputy Police Chief of Chernivtsi Sviatoslav Kishlar. He is accused of facilitating the raid on the cathedral and actively participating in the takeover.