Cherkasy region prosecutors seek to strip UOC of churches through courts

UOC churches in the Cherkasy region. Photo: Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine

In Ukraine’s Cherkasy region, prosecutors have launched court proceedings aimed at registering state ownership of a number of churches currently used by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, according to the outlet provce.ck.ua.

According to the report, the Zvenyhorodka District Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit “in defense of” St. George’s Church, built in 1785. The court granted the claim, citing the lack of formally registered state ownership, which, according to the plaintiff, created risks for the preservation of the site.

A similar ruling was issued in the case of the Church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica. The Smila District Prosecutor’s Office filed suit against the Cherkasy Regional State Administration, and the court fully satisfied the claim.

In addition, the Zolotonosha District Prosecutor’s Office initiated legal proceedings over the Transfiguration Church of the Krasnohirske Monastery, built in 1757. The church has the status of a national architectural monument and was entered into the state register in 2024.

Prosecutors claim that the property was allegedly removed from state ownership without proper legal grounds. Court proceedings in the case of the Krasnohirske Monastery are still ongoing.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the authorities are seeking to take over the Krasnohirske Monastery of the Cherkasy Eparchy.

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