Cherkasy City Council transfers land under St. Michael's Cathedral of UOC to OCU in violation of procedures

The Cherkasy City Council has decided to transfer the land plot under St. Michael’s Cathedral to the OCU. This decision, according to sources, was made in violation of the law and, according to opponents, under pressure from local authorities and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

According to the Dozor Telegram channel, 35 members of the city council supported the initiative, which the channel characterizes as «the transfer of land under the cathedral occupied by the OCU to raiders.»

According to DOZOR’s sources, the vote was actively promoted personally by Cherkasy Mayor Anatoliy Bondarenko and the local SBU leadership. It is alleged that «intimidation by security forces became more frightening for the deputies than such a blatant violation of the law,» which led to the decision.

It is noted that shortly before that, a vote on a similar issue in the city council failed, and then the deputies refused to transfer the land under all (!) «seized churches.» According to the same sources, the deputies realized that «the actual legalization of the theft would entail criminal liability.»

The publication of the Telegram channel «Dozor» expresses concern about the future fate of land plots under other churches, which, according to them, are «occupied by Epiphany’s militants.»

Earlier, we reported that the staff of the Third City Hospital of Cherkasy held a meeting at which it was decided to transfer the hospital chapel in honor of the Apostle Luke, equipped by the Cherkasy Diocese of the UOC, to the control of the OCU.