Court rejects lawsuit by Kremenchuk metropolitan over cathedral seizure

Holy Trinity Church, Kremenchuk. Photo: Kremenchuk Newspaper

On June 4, 2025, the Commercial Court of Poltava Region rejected the lawsuit filed by Metropolitan Mykolai of Kremenchuk and Lubny against representatives of the OCU who had seized the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was reported by Kremenchuk Newspaper.

In his claim, Metropolitan Mykolai challenged the legitimacy of a meeting at which the community of the UOC’s Holy Trinity Church in Kremenchuk was declared transferred to the OCU. The court not only dismissed the claim but returned it, citing abuse of procedural rights by the plaintiff.

As a reminder, in July 2024, a group of individuals unknown to the Holy Trinity community held an unlawful gathering in Kremenchuk and announced the parish’s transfer to the OCU. A new charter was later registered through the Poltava Regional Military Administration.

In February 2025, the Kryukiv District Court of Kremenchuk rejected the OCU’s lawsuit seeking legal transfer of the church building itself, thereby confirming the UOC’s lawful right to use the religious property. The court concluded that the UOC’s refusal to vacate the church could not be regarded as a seizure or an obstruction of worship.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a Kremenchuk court had denied the OCU’s claim to the UOC’s Holy Trinity Church.

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