Metropolitan Feodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has officially addressed the authorities of Cherkasy Oblast with a statement expressing deep concern over the actions of the Cherkasy City Council and representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).
The official statement was directed to the head of the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration, Ihor Taburets; the chief of the National Police’s main department in Cherkasy Oblast, Yaroslav Holynskyi; the head of the Cherkasy Regional Prosecutor’s Office, Oleksandr Voronin; and other officials.
Metropolitan Feodosiy formally appealed to the leaders of Cherkasy Oblast, the regional police, and the prosecutor’s office regarding the planned seizures of Ukrainian Orthodox Church temples in Cherkasy.
«The crime is being orchestrated by the OCU, led by Oleh (Ivan) Yaremenko, possibly with the participation or support of certain officials from the city authorities,» stated Metropolitan Feodosiy.
The Metropolitan’s words carry serious weight. Last year, the OCU had already seized UOC churches in the region.
On October 17, 2024, OCU raiders took over the Archangel Michael Church in Cherkasy—the cathedral of the Cherkasy Eparchy of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
At night, around 100 unidentified individuals in camouflage and balaclavas stormed the cathedral. They expelled worshippers, confiscated their phones to prevent recording, and tore down surveillance cameras. One of the attackers fired a gas pistol, leading to a scuffle. However, the parishioners managed to repel the first assault.
After the raiders fled, icons and other valuable items, as well as money, documents, and computers, went missing. Metropolitan Feodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv immediately issued a statement following the attack, pointing out that the raider seizure was carried out with the involvement of authorities—among the attackers was a city council deputy, whom people caught and handed over to the police. However, he was soon">Календарь