UOC church in honor of 'Chernobyl Savior' icon seized by force in Cherkasy

On the morning of November 11, 2025, a forceful seizure of the church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in honor of the icon “Chernobyl Savior” took place in the city of Cherkasy. It is reported that representatives of the OCU, with the support of police officers and the Security Service of Ukraine, occupied the building, forcing the UOC community out of it.

According to published information, events developed rapidly. The head of the community arrived at the church after the alarm went off and found that it was already occupied by representatives of the OCU, and the perimeter was surrounded by security forces. It is alleged that the seizure operation was led by the deputy head of the Cherkasy SBU, and the security service was forbidden to record what was happening. The security system codes were forcibly changed.

The seizure was preceded by a controversial legal procedure. According to the First Cossack Telegram channel, the process of re-registering the community from the UOC to the OCU was initiated in March 2025 without holding a meeting and the consent of the faithful. At the same time, a mishap was made: the legal address of the “new” OCU community was registered at the place of residence of the UOC community elder, who categorically opposed the transition. When the court proceedings began, the legal entity of the religious community was completely liquidated, which, according to representatives of the UOC, made it possible to circumvent the law and carry out a forceful seizure.

Earlier, we reported that the mayor of Cherkasy, Anatoly Bondarenko, expressed concern about the fact that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church owns two more churches in the city. The mayor commented on the situation, calling it a temporary “shortcoming” of the community that needs to be corrected.