After transfer, Kyiv’s Cyril Church nearly empty during OCU “services”

“Service” of the OCU at St. Cyril's Church on All Saints’ Sunday

After the government seized Kyiv’s historic Cyril Church from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and handed it over to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), services conducted by the new occupants have been almost entirely deserted. Sources from the former UOC community shared this information with UOJ, along with photo evidence.

On June 15, 2025 – All Saints’ Sunday – only six people attended the OCU “liturgy” at the St. Cyril's Church. On Pentecost, a day when Orthodox churches are usually full, attendance was around 20–25 people.

On June 9, when the feast of Saint Cyril of Alexandria was to be celebrated according to the New Calendar – the church’s patronal feast – no service was held at all. The church stood closed.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that on May 11, 2025, OCU head Serhii Dumenko held a religious event at the ancient Cyril Church. At that event, he announced: “From now until the liberation of Luhansk from Russian occupation, the St. Cyril's Church will serve as the center of the Luhansk Eparchy.”

Reminder: since 2011, the St. Cyril's Church had housed a UOC men’s monastery. The lease agreement with the Ministry of Culture expired on January 30, 2025, and officials refused to renew it for the monastery.

Read also