The authorities of the Ternopil region are outraged that the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church did not warn them about the Cross Procession to Pochaiv

The Ternopil Regional Administration expressed outrage that believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church did not warn them about their plans to hold a procession through the region. The Regional Administration reminded that since 2022, there has been a ban on mass religious events in the region, and no one has lifted it this year. This was reported by ZAXID.NET.

“Representatives of the UOC-MP should have sent us a request stating that a procession to the Pochaiv Lavra would take place on a certain date. However, no such documents have been sent yet,” – said Ihor Kulchytskyi, deputy director of the department, head of the department of ethnic policy, freedom of conscience, and digital transformations of the Ternopil Regional State Administration’s Department of Culture and Tourism.

In turn, a spokesperson for the Ternopil Regional Police Department said that they had not received any reports of provocations or violations of law and order by participants in the Cross Procession.

“No complaints were received from the UOC-MP in the Kremenets district. There were also no reports from participants in the procession about threats, fights, or violations of public order,” – said Serhiy Kreta, spokesperson for the Ternopil Regional Police.

On July 31, 2025, in the village of Demydivka in the Rivne region, supporters of the OCU blocked the path of participants in the Cross Procession of believers of the UOC, which was heading from the Volyn region to the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra for the feast in honor of the Pochaiv Icon of the Mother of God. In previous years, participants in the Cross Procession traditionally stopped for the night on the territory of the Holy John the Theologian Church of the UOC in Demydivka, but this time local supporters of the OCU drove them out of the village.