Khmelnytskyi RMA legalizes “transfer” of UOC church to OCU in Kuzmyn

An order on the re-registration of a UOC parish in the village of Kuzmyn. Photo: Dozor

The authorities of Khmelnytskyi Region have signed an order to re-register the religious community of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Kuzmyn into the jurisdiction of the OCU, despite protests by the current parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was reported by the Dozor Telegram channel.

The editorial office obtained a document signed by the head of the Regional Military Administration, Serhii Tiurin, on January 14, 2026. The document confirms amendments entered into the parish charter of the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Officials registered a new charter on the basis of falsified documents prepared by OCU activists.

The UOC eparchy’s press service had stated that the community meeting to which the authorities are now referring was held without the participation of actual parishioners and is therefore unlawful.

“By legalizing the raiders’ forgery, the authorities have effectively assumed responsibility for the further barbarity of OCU activists. Now a forceful seizure of the shrine is only a matter of time,” Orthodox journalists commented on the situation.

Earlier, the Kuzmyn community appealed to U.S. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, asking for protection from raider actions and from officials’ interference in religious life.

As the UOJ previously reported, the congresswoman had taken under her oversight a possible attempt to seize the church in Kuzmyn.

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