In Moshny, local authorities restrict access to seized church for OCU reps

The Transfiguration of the Savior Church in Moshny. Photo: wikipedia

In the village of Moshny, Cherkasy region, local authorities restricted access for activists of the OCU to the ancient Transfiguration Church by changing the locks after the forcible seizure of the shrine. According to the Telegram channel "Dozor", the head of the Moshny community, Bohdan Shkarbuta, arrived at the church with the police to put new locks.

"One of the two supporters of the OCU in the village publishes a video in which he expresses outrage at the actions of the head of the Moshny RTC, Bohdan Shkarbuta," the message says.

It is noted that in this way they blocked the illegal use of the church by supporters of Dumenko's structure, who previously could not confirm either their rights or the legality of their actions.

"Recall that on the day of the church seizure, the head of the RTC arrived at the scene and asked the militants to show him the documents to the church. They attacked and threw the official out of the church territory," wrote "Dozor".

The absolute majority of local residents support the parish and the rector of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. There are a few supporters of the OCU in Moshny, but they were the ones involved in the seizure, carried out with the participation of visiting "activists".

As earlier reported, on November 16, 2025, a group of OCU militants forcibly seized the ancient Transfiguration Cathedral of the UOC. As representatives of the community reported to the UOJ, after the Sunday Liturgy, men in balaclavas and with yellow armbands burst into the church under the leadership of the local OCU "dean". UOC believers were forcibly expelled from the church, after which the invaders began to inventory the property.

The Transfiguration Church in Moshny was built in 1839 by architect Giorgio Torricelli and consecrated by Kyiv Metropolitan Filaret on August 19, 1840.

The Transfiguration Cathedral is a monument of national significance and is on the state balance. A valid "retention agreement" was concluded with the UOC community back in the 1990s, which no one terminated. As the Legal Department of the eparchy noted, the agreement was simply ignored.

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