Romny City Council refuses to allocate land for OCU church

Romny City Council. Photo: open sources

In Romny, Sumy region, city council deputies did not support the allocation of a land plot for the construction of an OCU church in the Zasullia neighborhood. According to Romny 24, the decision to deny the land was adopted at the 112th session of the city council, held on June 24, 2026.

The draft decision provided for transferring a 0.5-hectare plot on Kyivska Street to the “religious community of St. Panteleimon.” Deputies rejected the document, explaining that under the city’s zoning plan, the area is designated as public green space.

OCU “priest” Ihor Muriy called the authorities’ decision unfair, adding: “I would like to hear an honest answer from the deputies: what were they afraid of? Ukrainian prayer? The Ukrainian Church? Or perhaps they are far more comfortable when OCU communities remain without their own churches?”

City council deputy Dmytro Menko accused his colleagues of using “excuses” and double standards in distributing community resources. However, even before the session began, he had assumed that the decision would not be supported.

OCU cleric Vadym Polishchuk said the issue of allocating land had been raised back in 2023. According to him, officials first cited the lack of documentation, while in 2026 they said the territory had already been included in the General Plan as a green zone.

“It seems everything was done to refuse us legally. I do not understand whom the authorities are waiting for, or to whom they want to report that they did not give land for the construction of a church,” the representative of Dumenko’s structure said.

As the UOJ reported, Lviv City Hall lost in court for the second time in the case concerning the demolition of an OCU chapel.

Read also