Construction of UGCC church resumes in Kyiv despite residents’ protests

Design for the Uniate church in Obolon. Photo: Obolonlife

Preparatory work has resumed on the construction of a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Kyiv’s Obolon district despite protests from local residents, the Obolonlife Telegram channel reported.

A new fence and a construction information board have already been installed at the site. According to the board, construction is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026 and be completed in the fourth quarter of 2027. Work resumed even though electronic petition No. 12936 to the Kyiv City Council, titled “Stop Construction in the Park on Pivnichna Street in Obolon,” collected the required 6,000 signatures in 2024. The petition’s authors demanded that construction be halted because of the site’s proximity to residential buildings, a kindergarten, and a children’s clinic.

The legal dispute remains unresolved. The Kyiv District Administrative Court is considering a lawsuit filed by the civic organization Voice of Obolon, which is seeking to overturn the Kyiv City Council’s decision to transfer the land plot to the religious community, as well as to revoke the urban planning conditions and construction permit. After an appeals court overturned an earlier decision returning the claim, the case was sent back to the court of first instance for consideration.

Following a meeting with residents of Pivnichna Street held on Thursday, the parties agreed to organize a public discussion of the construction project. The city authorities were represented at the meeting by Yevhen Kuzmenko, a Kyiv City Council deputy from the Servant of the People party representing the Obolon district, who publicly supported the Uniate church project.

The parties also agreed that, until the public discussion takes place, the community would refrain from any unlawful or forceful actions involving property at 10 Pivnichna Street, while the developer and church representatives would suspend all construction work.

A recent poll conducted among district residents on the Obolonlife Telegram channel showed that, of more than 3,700 respondents, the majority opposed the resumption of construction, while only around one in ten supported the project.

As the UOJ previously reported, a petition calling for a school building in Odesa to be transferred to Catholics collected 25,000 signatures. Initiatives involving land and real estate for Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic communities have repeatedly sparked public controversy in various Ukrainian cities in recent years.

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