"Why did these traitorous bishops slyly talk about reconciliation with Patriarch Filaret a month and a half ago?," UOC-KP hierarch on relations with OCU

A new round of tension is erupting in the community of Ukrainian non-canonical religious associations after OCU hierarch Oleksandr Drabinko held joint worship events with a representative of the UOC-KP, Andriy Marutsak, who previously represented the previously «defrocked» OCU synod. This act provoked sharp criticism from the immediate leadership of the OCU, in particular the organization’s speaker, Yevstratiy Zorya, whose reaction was commented on his Facebook account by the head of the Sumy Diocese of the UOC-KP, Nikodim Kobzar.

The incident took place on the eve of the feast day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker at St. Vladimir’s Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv. According to Kobzar, Oleksandr Drabinko «took part in the All-Night Vigil together with Archbishop Andriy (Marutsak), who, according to the decision of the Synod of the OCU, was «defrocked». This fact immediately caused a storm of indignation in the ranks of the OCU.

In his statement, the head of the Sumy Diocese of the UOC-KP sharply criticized the leadership of the OCU, including Dumenko, Zoria and Rudyuk, for their attitude to the head of the «Kyiv Patriarchate» Filaret Denisenko. He questioned the appropriateness of previous statements about reconciliation with Denisenko, calling them «theater and mockery of the elder.» Archbishop Nikodim also noted that «Alexander Drabinko has not only a conscience, but also more respect for His Holiness Patriarch Filaret than Dumenko-Chekalyuk, Zorya, Rudyuk and other leaders of the OCU.»

The hierarch also recalled that even Constantinople, on which the OCU is a dependent structure, «considers the ordinations of the current bishops of the UOC-KP to be canonically impeccable, unlike the ordination of the same Zoria.» He expressed his personal respect for Oleksandr Drabinko for the courage to act «according to his conscience» rather than «the instructions of Dumenko-Chekalyuk» and for the fact that he «remains an adequate person» even in what he called a «sick structure.»

Concluding his address, Nikodim Kobzar expressed the hope that «sooner or later we will be able to achieve real unity through a constructive dialogue with such hierarchs as Bishop Alexander, and not its imitation, as the current leadership of the OCU is trying to do.»

Earlier, we reported that OCU hierarch Oleksandr Drabinko took part in religious events at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral of the UOC-KP. This event, which took place on December 18, 2025, caused a significant resonance, given Drabinko’s past position on the non-canonicity of the UOC-KP and the current relations of the OCU with this structure.