OCU equates UOC’s losses from “transfers” with losses caused by occupation

Mykhailo Omelian, a representative of the OCU press service. Photo: Omelian’s Facebook

Representatives of the OCU reported figures on the losses suffered by the UOC in recent years, treating “voluntary transfers” into their structure as equivalent to churches that came under the control of the ROC after remaining in occupied territories.

According to data provided by a representative of the press service associated with Epifaniy Dumenko to the open data service Opendatabot, the UOC has lost around 5,000 churches in recent years.

“More than 5,000 religious communities have left its control. During this time, about 2,000 communities voluntarily joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Those communities that remained in temporarily occupied territories are now effectively under the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, which also means a loss of real influence for the UOC MP,” said Mykhailo Omelian.

According to Opendatabot, the highest number of “transfers” to the OCU occurred in Khmelnytskyi Region (205), Kyiv Region (196), and Vinnytsia Region (105). The peak was recorded in 2023, when 386 communities were transferred.

Opendatabot also reports that the largest number of UOC churches are located in Dnipropetrovsk Region (522), Vinnytsia Region (495), and Zakarpattia Region (487).

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to an adviser to the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, the authorities are not banning the UOC but are offering a choice – either to transfer to the OCU or to come under the jurisdiction of the Constantinople Patriarchate.

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