St Andrew's Church in Cherkasy nearly empty during OCU “worship” after raid

Photo: St. Andrew’s Hierarchical Compound in Cherkasy. Source: “First Cossack” Telegram Channel

On June 15, 2025, the Feast of All Saints – one of the major holy days in Orthodoxy –  the recently seized St. Andrew’s Hierarchical Compound in Cherkasy was nearly empty. According to the “First Cossack” Telegram channel, only a few people, including clergy of the OCU, were present at the service, despite the fact that the church once welcomed hundreds of faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

As previously reported, on May 6, 2025, the St. Andrew’s Church was forcibly transferred to the jurisdiction of the OCU with the support of police and local authorities. UOC parishioners were forced to leave the building, despite protests and public prayer vigils.

It is also noted that online sources report a small group of OCU activists moving from church to church, attempting to create the illusion of large congregations. On this occasion, they were seen at St. Michael’s Cathedral, where they have learned to film close-up footage to obscure the sparse attendance. No such media manipulation has yet been attempted at St. Andrew’s.

The situation in Cherkasy highlights the aftermath of the forced change of jurisdiction: a church taken from UOC believers remains virtually empty, despite efforts to legitimize the new clergy.

The UOJ previously reported that services at the seized St. Cyril's Church in Kyiv under the OCU also draw barely any parishioners.

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