Kyiv Court upholds legal transfer of Stebliv church to OCU, Cherkasy region

The Ascension Church in Stebliv. Photo: bogdan susol

On July 17, 2025, the Economic Court made a decision regarding the fate of the Ascension Church of the UOC in the village of Stebliv, Cherkasy region. Judge Serhiy Mudryi denied the claim of the community's rector against the Cherkasy RMA and the OCU community for the "recognition of the general meeting's decision as invalid (illegal) and its cancellation" regarding the transfer of the church to the OCU, and the "recognition of changes in the legal entity's statute as invalid, recognition of the order as illegal and its cancellation."

The rector of the UOC community argued his claim by stating that:

• the OCU meeting was held contrary to the provisions of the law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations,"
• the registration of the new statute was conducted without the original Statute of the UOC community,
• decisions at the meeting were made by unknown persons who were not members of the religious community,
• signatures were not notarized.

Judge Mudryi justified his refusal by stating that:

• by law, the state is separated from the Church, and the administration is not obliged to verify the legality of signatures during voting,
• during the transfer of the church to the OCU, "there is no reason to believe that there was interference with the plaintiff's right to freedom of religion,"
• "any Orthodox person who considers themselves a believer, attends church services, and resides in the village can be a member of the UOC religious community."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Prosecutor's Office demands that the Cherkasy RMA transfer four UOC churches to the state.

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