UOC-KP accuses Filaret's relatives of kidnapping and conspiracy with OCU

The head of the Sumy Diocese of the UOC-KP, Nikodim Kobzar, issued a statement accusing Filaret Denisenko’s blood relatives of kidnapping him and collusion with the OCU. According to the statement, the head of the UOC-KP was taken to St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery under the influence of psychotropic substances to sign documents. The hierarch claims that this was done against the will of the head of the UOC-KP and declares his firm intention to preserve the “Kyiv Patriarchate”.

In his address, Kobzar reports a sharp deterioration in Filaret Denisenko’s health at the end of August. According to him, while on St. Volodymyr’s Day “the patriarch felt well, moved independently,” his condition suddenly changed: “numerous wounds appeared on his body, and he stopped leading the service.” It is alleged that from that moment on, relatives, including Inna, Olena and Mykhailo Denysenko, as well as Dmytro Kurylenko, completely isolated the Patriarch, not allowing the clergy, including his confessor, to visit him.

He also mentions an incident that occurred on October 19, 2025, during the signing of the Patriarch’s “Spiritual Testament.” Kobzar states that Mikhail Denisenko “directly tried to disrupt the signing process.” In addition, according to the author of the statement, Inna Denisenko claimed in private conversations that after Filaret’s death , “the Kyiv Patriarchate will cease to exist.”

According to Nikodym Kobzar, the events culminated in the “abduction” of Filaret on November 5. The statement says that the head of the UOC-KP “was brought to St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery under the influence of psychotropic substances, where he was probably forced to sign dubious documents.” According to him, this visit was organized in collusion with the head of the OCU, Epiphany Dumenko, and took place without the knowledge and consent of the hierarchs of the UOC-KP, which, in his opinion, indicates its coercive nature.

Kobzar categorically rejects the rumors about the “conscious reconciliation of the Patriarch with the OCU,” recalling the statement of the OCU spokesman Yevstratiy Zoria in 2019, who questioned the sanity of Filaret Denisenko. In conclusion, the hierarch declares that the “Kyiv Patriarchate” will continue to exist, and calls on other hierarchs of the UOC-KP to make similar statements, and all supporters of the UOC-KP to pray for Filaret’s health and safety.

As reported, on November 5, 2025, a meeting was held in Kyiv between the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko and the leader of the UOC-KP Filaret Denisenko. During the conversation, the hierarchs discussed Filaret’s many years of ministry and the importance of unity, concluding the conversation with a joint prayer for the victory of Ukraine.