OCU cleric joins UOC-KP
“Archdeacon” Maksym Bondarchuk has shifted from the OCU to the UOC-KP. Photo: Kobzar’s Facebook page
A cleric of the Rivne Eparchy of the OCU, "protodeacon" Maksym Bondarchuk, has joined the UOC-KP. The head of the structure, Nikodym Kobzar, signed a decree on July 24, 2026, accepting the new "minister" under his direct authority.
The decision was made on the basis of a personal petition from Maksym Bondarchuk. Nikodym Kobzar stated that in this way his organization continues to gradually strengthen and establish itself. "Step by step, we are affirming the Kyiv Patriarchate!" the head of the UOC-KP commented on the transition.
This is not the first instance of a transfer from the OCU to the Kyiv Patriarchate in recent times. Previously, the ranks of the UOC-KP were joined by cleric Oleksandr Halas, who publicly accused Dumenko's structure of financial abuses and biased treatment by the organization.
As the UOJ reported, the OCU announced that it had put an end to the Filaret schism.
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