In Kusnyshcha, Volyn, UOC parishioners thwart attempted transfer to OCU

UOC parishioners drove away organizers of transfer to OCU. Photo: "Buh"

On May 9, 2026, parishioners of the Transfiguration parish of the UOC in the village of Kusnyshcha in Volyn thwarted an attempt to transfer their community to the OCU, reports local resource "Buh".

As becomes clear from the journalists' video report, the attempt to organize a meeting on the transfer was associated with numerous violations of the law. In particular, the organizers brought pre-filled forms with a ready result.

“Here is the result of the vote written down — it’s already there, the forms have already been filled in. That is legally incorrect!” one of the parishioners says in the footage, expressing indignation.

The organizers also tried to substitute the concept "religious community" with the concept "territorial community," claiming that the village community has the right to decide the fate of the parish.

A cleric of the OCU who came to Kusnyshcha to "transfer" the church stated that an unnamed community had approached him "with a request to change subordination." He did not specify exactly what the community is called. The "priest" also peculiarly defined the purpose of the meeting: "Everyone who came here has the right to vote for Ukraine to finally eradicate the Moscow church with the MP prefix."

Due to the identified violations, members of the Transfiguration community of the UOC disrupted the meeting and drove away the organizers, shouting "Shame!"

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Metropolitan of Volyn consecrated the newly built Church of John the Theologian in Lutsk.

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