OCU representatives quarrel over UOC church seized in Cherkasy region

In the village of Moshny, Cherkasy region, the situation around the Transfiguration Church of the UOC has escalated. After the seizure of the shrine by supporters of the OCU, local authorities sealed the church, which led to an internal conflict between different groups of raiders who cannot share control over the seized property.

Itis reported that on November 16, the church was seized by OCU activists and militants associated with Dmytro Korchynsky’s Brotherhood organization. However, on November 22, the head of the Moshnyanska united territorial community took action by changing the locks and sealing the church territory, thereby blocking access to it for the invaders.

The actions of the authorities were actually supported by one of the OCU clerics named Mykola Ishchenko, which led to a confrontation between him and a group of activists who carried out the seizure. The parishioners of the church published a video of the discussion between Ishchenko and the head of the militants, Yuri Zoniuk.

During the argument, Mykola Ishchenko showed documents about his appointment as “rector”. In turn, the raiders support another cleric of the OCU, who was previously banned from ministry for immoral behavior. It is noteworthy that Ishchenko recognized the fact of the expulsion of the legitimate rector of the UOC, priest Oleg Markhilevich, from the church and demanded that Zoniuk show the “400 people” who allegedly comprise the local community of the OCU, in fact, pointing to the falsification of documents for the shrine.

As reported, 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 intervene in the situation.