MP demands answers from Rivne authorities over UOC charity event

Bobrovska. Photo: "Kyiv 24"

Member of Parliament Solomiia Bobrovska has sent an official inquiry to the Rivne City Council, demanding an explanation of the grounds on which the authorities allowed the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC to hold a charity festival on January 23, 2026 to raise funds for children suffering from cancer.

According to her, in their reply the city authorities justified themselves by saying that the request to hold the charity event had been submitted by a private individual rather than by the eparchy. Bobrovska, however, was not satisfied with that explanation. She insisted that the Rivne Eparchy has an “institutional and worldview connection with the aggressor state,” and therefore even a festival collecting money for sick children could pose a threat to Ukraine’s national security.

She accused the city council of the fact that, “when granting permission, no proper verification of the actual organizers and co-organizers of the event was carried out.”

“Under martial law, such actions by local self-government bodies cannot be considered sufficient,” she said.

At the same time, Bobrovska claims that “this is not about restricting freedom of religion or charitable activity, but about the responsibility of the authorities for transparency and legal certainty in processes taking place in premises belonging to the territorial community.”

She added that helping children with cancer “does not absolve public authorities of their duty to act responsibly, taking into account the security context and the realities of Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine.”

Comments under Bobrovska’s Facebook post were predominantly negative.

“It’s shameful to have such an MP. Instead of supporting charity or raising questions about funding for children with cancer and Chornobyl pensioners, she’s attacking those who actually help,” wrote Olena Ochkalenko.

“You, with your laws and actions, have harmed the state just like the Muscovites. You’ve clung to the UOC like leeches and keep telling fairy tales. Better fight your fellow MPs and ministers who robbed the country and continue robbing the people – rather than waging war on the Church,” wrote Mykola Mykhalyk.

“Maybe the MP would like to help the sick children herself? Why is everything the UOC stands for automatically labeled as Russian propaganda? UOC believers, by every means – prayerfully, materially, and physically – are bringing our victory closer. They might not splash it all over social media or turn it into a PR campaign, but they do it sincerely, with faith in God. It’s time to stop hunting for enemies where there simply aren’t any,” wrote Liudmyla Mazur.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Rivne, the UOC held a charity festival to help children with cancer, raising more than 210,000 hryvnias.

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