Transfiguration Church of UOC seized by force in Moshny village, Cherkasy region

on November 16, 2025, in the village of Moshny, Cherkasy region, the Transfiguration Church, which belonged to the local religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, was seized by force. According to open source reports, the church was seized by supporters of the OCU with the support of an armed raider group. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers were armed with bats and tear gas, and the police did not interfere in what was happening.

According to the Telegram channel DOZOR, the attackers acted in an organized manner, imitating a military operation – they wore yellow identification ribbons on their sleeves. The participants of the seizure, many of whom hid their faces under masks and balaclavas, blocked the entrances to the church and hung chains on the gates to prevent the UOC believers from entering the territory.

In addition, according to witnesses, the raiders were armed with bats and tear gas canisters. At the same time, the police, who were present at the scene, remained indifferent and did not take measures to protect the church and believers.

The source also indicates that the seizure may have been preceded by the illegal re-registration of the community. It is alleged that the OCU activists in a conversation with the media allegedly admitted that the parishioners of the church and the villagers did not support the transfer to their jurisdiction. It is noted that people from Cherkasy were involved in the seizure, as the local community of the OCU, according to the source, has only a few people.

As reported, the intentions of the OCU supporters to seize the Transfiguration Church of the UOC in the village of Moshny were reported back in 2024. Then the local authorities organized the “re-registration” of the local Transfiguration religious community of the UOC, without even holding the so-called “territorial meeting” on the issue of “transferring the church to the OCU”. After that, when the UOC community was effectively deprived of its registration, the faithful of the canonical Church managed to defend the church from the encroachments of the invaders for more than a year, until the supporters of the OCU engaged armed raiders in the seizure.