Hostomel businessman involved in church raids faces prison for embezzlement
Epifaniy Dumenko awards Serhii Voznyi. Photo: Voznyi's Facebook
On June 25, 2025, Irpin News reported that criminal proceedings had been opened against Serhii Voznyi, a businessman who orchestrated a series of raider-style church takeovers in Kyiv Oblast. He is accused of misappropriating funds allocated for the reconstruction of the Hostomel community.
According to media sources, Voznyi has become a key figure in the case. The police launched a criminal investigation into the embezzlement of property through abuse of official position involving Deputy Head of the Hostomel Village Military Administration Olha Prylypko and her accomplices: Serhii Voznyi, Oleksandr Ivanov, and several local businessmen.
They are charged under Part 5, Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – embezzlement or misappropriation of property by an official on a particularly large scale. Voznyi has already been formally served with suspicion. All defendants face up to twelve years in prison.
Serhii Voznyi is known for forging documents and organizing violent seizures of Orthodox churches. For these actions, he received multiple awards from the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Epifaniy Dumenko.
In May, Voznyi published a list on his Facebook page of churches he had “transferred” from the UOC. According to him, “thanks to joint efforts,” more than 30 churches were successfully moved into the OCU.
Earlier, the UOJ provided a detailed report on the involvement of such “itinerant activists” in criminal schemes, highlighting the case of Serhii Voznyi in particular.
Read also
In Nigeria, 130 hostages abducted from Catholic school released
The country's authorities reported the release of the last hostages – victims of the attack on the Catholic school.
Zelensky wishes death to Putin in his Christmas message
The presidential address included the phrase "May he parish", said in the context of a Christmas wish.
Hungarian authorities to fund restoration of Serbian Church monastery
The Government of Hungary has allocated funds for the reconstruction of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos Monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Zelensky: All Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on the same date
Volodymyr Zelensky recorded a new video with Christmas greetings.
Instead of Christmas: Zelensky declares January 7 Programmer’s Day
Zelensky decided that January 7 is the most appropriate date for introducing a new holiday.
OCU equates UOC’s losses from “transfers” with losses caused by occupation
In Dumenko’s circle, the losses suffered by the UOC due to so-called “voluntary transfers” to the OCU were equated with losses resulting from occupation and the re-subordination of communities to the Russian Orthodox Church.