OCU supporters prepare forcible seizure of UOC church in Yakushyntsi

The Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov in Yakushyntsi. Photo: open sources

In the village of Yakushyntsi in Vinnytsia Oblast, supporters of the OCU are preparing a forcible seizure of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov. According to sources of the UOJ, in order to carry out the forcible scenario, the raiders, with the assistance of the village head, plan to involve police officers.

On August 6, 2026, around 50 OCU supporters, together with police representatives, held a meeting on the grounds near the Seraphim Church. After the meeting ended, UOC believers noticed an unknown man who was carefully examining the locks and doors of the church. When parishioners asked who he was and why he was doing this, the man replied that he allegedly had the right to do so.

The following day, August 7, believers went to Police Station No. 3 of Vinnytsia District to clarify the situation and encountered this man there — he turned out to be an active police officer.

The raiders and local officials laid the groundwork for the seizure through blatant falsifications. On March 27, 2025, former village head Mykola Drachyshyn and pensioner Valentyna Mykoliuk held a fictitious meeting. The organizers included 504 people on their side in the attendance lists, although in reality only 57 OCU supporters came to the meeting. Lawful members of the UOC community were not allowed to participate in the meeting at all.

On April 1, 2025, OCU supporters submitted the forged meeting minutes to the Vinnytsia Regional State Administration. Acting Head of the Department Alla Ratynska opened administrative proceedings and handled the case in a biased manner. The official ignored the lawful demands of UOC believers and rejected the petition of 20 community members to be recognized as interested parties. In response, the believers challenged the authorities' actions at the SSENAFC, which only sent formal dismissive replies to the believers' complaints without examining a single one on its merits.

The believers filed a lawsuit with the Commercial Court of Vinnytsia Oblast seeking to have the meeting declared unlawful, as a result of which officials temporarily suspended the proceedings on May 2, 2025. However, courts of first instance and appeal later dismissed the lawsuit on procedural grounds, considering the community's rights to be unviolated since the state re-registration had not yet been carried out.

Repeated appeals by believers to the SSENAFC and the Vinnytsia Regional Military Administration were ignored, and as a result, on July 16, 2026, Acting Head of the Department M. Babchynska signed an order to re-register the community under the OCU.

On July 21, believers submitted a complaint to the SSENAFC, the Vinnytsia Regional Military Administration, and the Department for Nationalities and Religions, which suspends the effect of the order. However, it was again ignored, and on the same day the state registrar carried out the re-registration of the legal entity.

At present, the UOC religious community continues to hold services in the Seraphim Church and warns of the raiders' intention to physically seize the church. Despite the blatant disregard for the law, the community will continue to defend its rights through legal means.

As the UOJ reported, the OCU in Tomashpil is demanding access to a church belonging to the UOC.

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