In Cherkasy region, the state returned to its ownership three churches, previously taken from the UOC in favor of the PCU

Cherkasy regional prosecutor’s office has returned three temples that previously belonged to religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the state. We are talking about the temples-monuments of architecture, which were transferred for use to the communities of the OCU in 2024 as a result of raider schemes to seize the property of the UOC. This is reported by the press service of the institution.

According to the agency, Smelyansky district prosecutor’s office found that a number of religious buildings, which are monuments of architecture of national importance, the right of state ownership is not registered, and therefore, the issue of realization of the right of the state as the owner of the possession, use and disposal of objects of cultural heritage remains unresolved. Moreover, this situation may lead to uncontrolled use, illegal alienation, destruction and even annihilation of the cultural patrimony of the Ukrainian people.

“Reacting to the illegal inactivity of the authorized body, the prosecutor sent to the court lawsuits on the obligation of Cherkassy regional state administration to take measures to formalize the right of state ownership of architectural monuments of national importance – Transfiguration Church of 1738 in the village of Kornilovka, Assumption Church of 1851 in the village of Zhabotin and Church-Rotunda Alexandra 1843 in the village of Lebedevka Cherkassy region”, – noted in the statement.

It is worth noting that all the temples mentioned in the message of the prosecutor’s office previously belonged to religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and were seized by supporters of the OCU in 2024. A significant part of such temples, after their seizure by OCU raiders, are not used for their intended purpose today.

Recall, earlier we reported that Smelyansky city district court granted the application for the transfer of “ownerless immovable property” – the Holy Protection Church in the village of Teklino, Cherkassy region to the communal ownership of Balakleyev village council. It is characteristic that the mentioned temple was for a long time owned by the religious community of the UOC, but after re-registration as part of the OCU, it became “ownerless property”.