Kyiv court approves raid on UOC church by OCU supporters in Cherkasy region

On July 17, 2025, the Commercial Court of Kyiv issued a ruling denying a claim to cancel the illegal re-registration of the Holy Ascension Religious Community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Stebliv, Cherkasy Region, in favor of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which resulted in the seizure of the local Ascension Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This is stated in the decision published on the website of the State Judicial Register of Ukraine.

Based on the materials of the court hearing, in early 2025, supporters of the OCU used a traditional raider scheme, thanks to which a territorial meeting was organized, which decided to re-register the local Holy Ascension community of the UOC in favor of the OCU. As a result of these actions and the support of local authorities, the Ascension Church of the UOC was seized, leaving the local community of the canonical Church without a place to satisfy their religious needs. The rector of the UOC community requested in a lawsuit to cancel the aforementioned decision and return the church to the ownership of the religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

This information was brought to the court’s attention, but, unfortunately, it did not convince the judge, who ruled in favor of the OCU. Judge Mudry considered that the OCU had held a meeting on the actual seizure of the legal entity and the UOC church lawfully, without violating the current legislation. In this regard, the court completely rejected the claims of the UOC.

Earlier, we reported that the Smila District Prosecutor’s Office of the Cherkasy Region announced another expropriation of a church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the region. This time, we are talking about the St. Michael’s Church of the Cherkasy Diocese of the UOC in the city of Gorodishche, built in 1844, which is an architectural monument of national importance. The religious building, constructed in the Neo-Gothic style according to the design of Italian architect Giorgio Torricelli, is distinguished by its similarity to a Catholic church. Inside, there is a unique 19th-century painting, “The Last Judgment,” which covers more than 100 square meters.