In Dashkivtsi, OCU cleric and police cut locks and seize UOC church

St. Alexander Nevsky Church in Dashkivtsi. Photo: ye.ua

In the village of Dashkivtsi, Khmelnytskyi Region, OCU supporters together with police forcibly seized the UOC Church of the Holy Right-Believing Prince Alexander Nevsky. The Khmelnytskyi Eparchy reported this on Facebook.

On September 5, 2026, at around 3:00 p.m., OCU cleric Petro Leskiv and local activist Oksana Barabash arrived at the church accompanied by two police crews. The raiders cut the locks on the church doors and entered the building.

The raiders used falsified documents as a pretext for the seizure. Supporters of Dumenko’s structure carried out an unlawful registration in the name of the religious community without the knowledge of the rector or parishioners. They renamed the religious organization, amended its charter, and replaced its lawful head. In the fictitious documents, officials listed Oksana Barabash as the new head instead of the lawful rector, Archpriest Serhiy Shpak.

The Khmelnytskyi Eparchy stressed that, under the law, actions by unauthorized persons who are not members of a religious community constitute gross internal interference in the activities of a religious organization. The law provides for legal liability for such violations.

The religious community of St. Alexander Nevsky Church continues its lawful activities and says it intends to defend its right to freedom of religion in national and international courts. The rector and regular parishioners continue to pray for the Ukrainian state, its defending soldiers, and the Ukrainian people. The faithful are also engaged in volunteer work and await the restoration of their lawful rights and the return of their church.

As the UOJ reported, a lawyer earlier spoke about attempts to seize the Demiivka church in Kyiv.

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