OCU supporters fail to seize St Nicholas Church in Vetly

UOC Church of St Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Vetly. Photo: lyubeshiv.rayon.in.ua

The rector of the UOC Church of St Nicholas in the village of Vetly, Volyn region, refused to hand over the keys to OCU supporters and defended the church, a local media outlet reports.

Another attempt to take the church away from the UOC community took place on August 25, 2026. Enforcement officers arrived at St Nicholas Church together with OCU supporters led by their “rector,” Roman Hula. However, the rector of the UOC community refused to hand over the keys to the church. As a result, the enforcement service drew up an official report.

The church conflict in Vetly has been ongoing since 2022, when supporters of Dumenko’s structure convened a meeting by deception and subsequently drew up an unlawful protocol purporting to record a meeting of the religious community of St Nicholas Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The document stated that “UOC believers” had decided to change jurisdiction and transfer St Nicholas Church to the OCU. In reality, however, members of the St Nicholas parish were not present at the meeting.

Dumenko’s supporters initiated legal proceedings, seeking to compel the UOC priest to hand over the keys and not obstruct their use of the building. The Liubeshiv District Court and the Volyn Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the OCU, while on June 22, 2026, the Supreme Court returned without consideration the cassation appeal filed by Priest Stanislav Skupeiko.

For now, the keys to St Nicholas Church remain with the UOC community. OCU representatives, however, say that the church’s transfer is only a matter of time.

As the UOJ reported, UOC believers in Kamin-Kashyrskyi are defending their church in court against its transfer to the OCU.

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