Odessa, Ukraine, June 24, 2026
Photo: Odessa Diocese
Another church belonging to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, this time in Odessa, was forcibly seized yesterday by a group affiliated with the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The incident took place at the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, part of the Odessa Diocese of the UOC.
A group of men in uniforms and armed with batons blocked the entrance to the church and its gates, preventing clergy and parishioners from entering. The individuals are reported to represent a private security agency whose director is a deputy of the regional council, according to the Odessa Diocese.
During the takeover, physical force was used against UOC clergy: the diocesan secretary was beaten, and one priest was knocked to the ground and choked. An ambulance was called for those injured, and a formal complaint has been filed.
When UOC clergy arrived at the church, they found schismatics inside, along with a chaplain priest identified as a Fr. Viktor, who claimed rights to the church on the basis of documents purportedly establishing a new religious community. The existing UOC parish community, which has maintained worship at the church and participated in its construction and restoration over many decades, states that no assembly was held and no vote taken to transfer to another jurisdiction.
St. Alexander Nevsky Church, before and after it was renovated by the UOC. Photo: Odessa Diocese
OCU “cleric” Teodor Orobets subsequently published video footage of the group entering the church, describing those present as the “real parishioners” of the church.
He announced that the church would be renamed in honor of St. Agapitus of the Kiev Caves. The OCU rejects the sanctity of St. Alexander Nevsky because he is a beloved saint in Russia.
In a separate video filmed inside the church, Orobets expressed objection to frescoes depicting the Royal Martyrs, Sts. Andrei Bogolyubsky and Dmitry Donskoy, and identified icons of Matrona of Moscow and Xenia of St. Petersburg as “markers of Moscow religious life.”
During the standoff, one of those present snatched a prayer book from a priest’s hands and damaged it, including the cover bearing an icon of the Mother of God. UOC clergy had requested permission to complete a moleben but were refused. They were ultimately compelled to leave the premises, taking the church’s holy objects with them. The building was then locked.
The Odessa Diocese of the UOC condemned the seizure as unlawful and stated it intends to defend its position through legal channels.
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