The UOC-KP has re-admitted a former cleric of the OCU who married an abbess
Fomenko had previously transferred from the OCU to the UOC-KP, but Filaret expelled him.
On August 21, 2026, the UOC-KP "patriarch" Nikodim announced the admission into his structure of "priest" Andriy Fomenko, "who resides and carries out his ministry in Germany."
Fomenko became well known in 2020 when, while serving as a cleric of the OCU, he married Kleopatra Muzychko. Muzychko, in turn, is the former abbess of the St. Nicholas Monastery in Zaporizhzhia, who fled the monastery, stealing all the money and valuables. After fleeing and stealing the monastery's property, Kleopatra was received into the Zaporizhzhia diocese of the OCU.
Following the scandalous marriage to the abbess, which became public due to publications by a matchmaking agency, Andriy Fomenko was suspended in the OCU and transferred to Filaret's UOC-KP. However, upon learning the details, Filaret expelled Fomenko from his structure in July 2020 as having been "received in error."
In which confession exactly Andriy Fomenko conducted his religious activity from that time until his re-admission to the UOC-KP remains unknown. On his Facebook page he refers to himself as a chaplain.
Previously, the UOJ reported that the OCU suspended a "priest" for attempting to transfer to another diocese.
