State authorities conducted an inspection at the orphanage attached to the Banchensky Monastery of the UOC

On June 24, 2025, representatives of the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine and the Children’s Services conducted an inspection at the orphanage operating at the Holy Ascension Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Bancheny (Chernivtsi region). The reason for the inspection was information circulated in the media that children were allegedly being abused at the facility. This was reported by the regional publication C4.

“This is not an inspection, it is a monitoring group working in connection with the resonance of the situation. We must seriously and carefully assess whether there is a threat to the life and health of children. We are in the process. We talked to the girls and boys. Psychologists are now working with them. I cannot give any assessments yet, because a whole group is working on it. When we receive conclusions from each department, then we will be able to make an overall assessment of the situation,” – said Oksana Simak, head of the Children’s Services Department at the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration.

Earlier, we reported that information appeared in the media about the cruel treatment of children in the orphanage at the Banchen Monastery of the Chernivtsi-Bukovina Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is maintained by the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Longin (Zhar) of Banchen. The bishop himself considers what is happening to be part of an anti-church campaign by the state authorities and an attempt to put pressure on him.