Police and officials forcibly evict Volodymyr-Volyn diocese of the UOC from the cathedral

In the city of Volodymyr-Volynskyi on the morning of October 10, the process of forced eviction of the Volodymyr-Volynskyi diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the complex of occupied premises, which includes the Holy Dormition Cathedral, the diocesan office and the theological school began. The police have cordoned off the territory and are not letting the faithful inside the cathedral, while the Cathedral itself is undergoing a “property inventory”.

According to theVolyn News, the legal struggle for the cathedral ended the day before. on October 9, the court rejected the last appeal, by which representatives of the UOC tried to block the execution of the decision. This appeal was related to a lawsuit filed by a priest who had previously been registered in one of the premises and claimed that his rights had been violated. With the dismissal of this complaint, the last obstacle to the expropriation of church property by the state was removed.

On the morning of October 10, when the executive action began, local residents gathered outside the cathedral to protest against the government’s actions. This led to verbal altercations with the police. The entrance to the shrine was blocked and law enforcers were reported to have started working inside. At the site were also seen numerous service vehicles and an ambulance crew on duty in case of an aggravation of the situation.

We will remind, on March 27, 2025 the people’s Deputy of Ukraine Igor Guz held a meeting with the head of the PCU Epiphany Dumenko. During the conversation, the MP invited the head of the Ukrainian schism to perform cultic activities in the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Volodymyr-Volynskyi diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is now under expropriation into state ownership.