UOC community serves outdoors after being driven out of its church in Kuzmyn

UOC faithful held services outdoors after losing their church. Photo: Facebook page of the UOC Holy Nativity-of-the-Theotokos Church in the village of Kuzmyn

On February 14 and 15, 2026, in the village of Kuzmyn, faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church held services in the open air after losing their church, according to a post on the Facebook page of the UOC Holy Nativity-of-the-Theotokos Church in Kuzmyn.

On the Saturday of the Departed, the community gathered outdoors at the cemetery, where they served a memorial service for their departed relatives. In their statement, the faithful emphasized that despite being deprived of a building, their faith remains unshaken.

Parishioners stressed that even if the doors of the church are closed, the sky remains open, and prayer continues to unite the community.

On the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, the faithful also gathered to pray outdoors, where they served a blessing-of-water service and blessed candles. In their address, the Meeting of the Lord was described as the day of a person’s encounter with God, and the community expressed hope for God’s help, peace, and the strengthening of faith amid the current trials.

It should be recalled that a forceful conflict around the Nativity of the Theotokos Church in Kuzmyn occurred on February 9, 2026. The Khmelnytskyi Eparchy of the UOC stated that the basis for the takeover was falsified documents alleging a “transfer” of the religious community to the OCU. According to the eparchy, changes were introduced into the registration documents: the statute was amended and the head was replaced – instead of the rector, Archpriest Heorhii Sikaliuk, the documents list Bohdan Bilyavets.

The eparchy also recalled that on December 21, 2025, a meeting of the territorial community was held at the village House of Culture, where a “transfer” of the parish to the OCU was announced. At the same time, as emphasized, the rector and the actual members of the religious community unanimously confirmed their fidelity to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

The press service noted that persons who are not members of the religious community have no right to make decisions on its behalf, and such actions constitute a violation of the law. The community stated its intention to defend its rights in court and at the international level.

The situation also received international attention: US Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said she is taking the matter under her personal control and is demanding explanations from the Ukrainian authorities. It was previously reported that during the takeover, locks were cut and OCU representatives entered the church.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in connection with the forceful takeover of the UOC Nativity-of-the-Theotokos Church in the Khmelnytskyi Region, a criminal complaint was filed and lawsuits were initiated.

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