In Volyn, head of UOC-KP religious community "transferred" non-existent UOC community to OCU

A report appeared in the information space about the alleged transfer of the religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Zhmudche, Volyn region, to the OCU. However, a thorough check of this information revealed the absence of any legal and factual grounds for such a statement. This was reported by the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the UOC on its Facebook account.

The message posted on the Facebook page of the head of the religious community of the UOC-KP, Andriy Sekh, claims that «the religious community of St. John the Theologian joined the OCU.» Given that there is actually only one religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the village, this is probably what was meant. However, the local UOC community has not made any decisions to change its jurisdiction, and the statement itself is not supported by the basic signs of a real transition.

One of the key factors that cast doubt on the authenticity of the statement is the lack of a formalized legal entity for the UOC community in Zhmudche. This means that the community could not hold a statutory meeting and carry out the necessary registration actions in the legal field. Moreover, there is no church building in the village, which makes statements about the «entry of the community» more of a substitution of concepts than a description of a real event.

In practice, the situation looks different: over the past two years, priest Andriy Sekh has come to Zhmudche only sporadically, mostly on certain holidays (blessing of water, apples) to the figure of the Cross. These rare visits do not form a full-fledged parish and do not give him the right to speak «on behalf of the community.» Thus, instead of official documents and the expressed will of local believers, we are faced with an informational illusion created by a loud post on a social network.

The legal inconsistency of the author of the statement also raises questions. Andriy Sekh is an authorized person of a legally registered parish in the village of Holoby, which is still listed as the UOC-KP: «The Parish of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul of the UOC-KP in the village of Holoby», EDRPOU code 25945730, registered on 07.11.2000 and as of 28.01.2026 has the status of «registered». This means that, while publicly demonstrating the «transitions» of other communities, he has not legally transferred his own community to the OCU.

It is important to consider this situation in a broader context. Against the backdrop of high-profile events in the region and visits of the OCU leadership to Volodymyr, such «news of entry» may appear as an element of information support designed to create the impression of active expansion. It can be assumed that there is an unspoken request for «demonstration of dynamics» on the ground, but even if such a motivation is present, it cannot replace facts. Facts are community decisions, membership lists, meeting minutes, and confirmed registration changes. Without these fundamental elements, the news of Zhmudchyi’s «transfer» remains not an event but only a media statement — an attempt to «paint» a community where another community actually exists, moreover, without a church and without a legally registered transferring entity.

Earlier, the odious head of the Volyn Diocese of the OCU, Mikhail Zinkevich , said that Volyn is under the «occupation of the Russian world.» He also expressed optimism about a «new wave» of community transitions to the OCU, which he attributed to the law banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).