Following the Cathedral Seizure in Chernivtsi, Ukraine Urges the Romanian Church to Recognize the OCU

Ukraine’s ambassador to Romania, Ihor Prokopchuk, has called on the Romanian Orthodox Church to recognize the so-called Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Referring to the recent incident in Chernivtsi, where on June 17 a violent attempt to seize the UOC cathedral was carried out with the involvement of police and OCU representatives, the diplomat framed the event as a result of “Russian manipulation” aimed at undermining trust between Kyiv and Bucharest. This was reported by the Romanian news portal Hotnews.ro.

“I emphasize the utmost importance of the issue of full recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine by the Romanian Orthodox Church,” said Ihor Prokopchuk.

Notably, in his appeal, the diplomat referenced the very incident in Chernivtsi, where representatives of the OCU, assisted by security forces, stormed the UOC’s Holy Spirit Cathedral.

According to Prokopchuk, Ukraine is interested in ensuring that the process of recognition of the OCU by the Romanian Church is completed as quickly as possible.

He stressed that, in his view, the conflict between the OCU and the UOC has no ethnic motivation, but is a confrontation between two religious structures — one of which, as he put it, is “under Moscow’s authority.” He also claimed that many people in Bukovina do not wish to be associated with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Prokopchuk asserted that Russia is allegedly interested in escalating incidents like the one in Chernivtsi in order to deepen mistrust between Romania and Ukraine.

It is worth recalling that Romanian MEP Luis Lazarus condemned the actions of radicals against clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Chernivtsi, noting that the attacks affected members of the Romanian minority. He voiced his position on June 18, 2025, during a session of the European Parliament.