OCU “hierarch” selling fake ID documents sent to pre-trial detention center

Kyrylo Mykhayliuk (right) with a friend. Photo: Mykhayliuk's Facebook

On February 19, 2026, the Ivano-Frankivsk City Court chose a preventive measure for "bishop" of the Uzhhorod-Khust Eparchy of the OCU Kyrylo Mykhailiuk, suspected of obstructing mobilization. He was taken into custody for 60 days with the possibility of posting bail. This is reported by local publication "Blitz-Info" citing the court ruling.

According to the investigation materials, the SBU petitioned for the suspect to be held in custody. The court partially granted this petition, setting the period of detention until April 17, 2026, with the alternative of posting bail in the amount of 232,960 hryvnias. After the decision was announced, Mykhailiuk was taken into custody in the courtroom and delivered to penitentiary institution No. 12 in Ivano-Frankivsk.

According to law enforcement data, the defendant organized a scheme for issuing fictitious documents about ordination to the rank of deacon to military-liable men. For a monetary reward ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 US dollars, ‘certificates’ were issued in this way, which made it possible to obtain a deferment from military conscription. The investigation claims that about 40 people received such documents, which led to distortion of military registration data.

In case of posting bail, the suspect will be obliged to surrender his passports, not leave the boundaries of the Zakarpattia Region, and refrain from communicating with witnesses in the case.

Earlier, in November 2025, the "Synod" of the OCU suspended Kyrylo Mykhailiuk from heading the eparchy over the published materials of the criminal proceedings and court decisions concerning the issuance of false certificates.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the OCU banned a "priest" for attempting to transfer to another eparchy.

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