In Brovary, the OCU is attempting to seize a UOC church through fraud and raiding

In the city of Brovary, Kyiv region, representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), with the support of local authorities, are attempting to seize the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, which belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

This was stated by the rector of the church, Archpriest Oleksandr Levchuk.

The cathedral was built in Brovary in memory of the Peter and Paul Church, which was destroyed in 1937. The original church was historically significant as it hosted a memorial service for Taras Shevchenko in 1861 before his funeral procession departed for Kaniv. In 1991, the Kyiv Metropolitan consecrated a cross on the site of the new cathedral’s construction. The temple was built with donations from UOC parishioners and was consecrated by Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan). Throughout these years, Father Oleksandr Levchuk has served as the church’s rector.

According to the priest, on March 13, the website of the Kyiv Regional (Military) State Administration published an announcement stating that the religious community of the OCU had allegedly informed the administration that the cathedral had transferred to their jurisdiction, even though no such decision had ever been made by the church’s congregation.

“On March 9, 2025, a general assembly of members of our religious community was held in our cathedral. Two hundred fifty regular parishioners were present, and all unanimously voted to keep our cathedral under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” the priest stated.

Despite the congregation’s desire to maintain the church within the UOC, the Unified State Register of Legal Entities recorded changes to the church’s registration data. Following this, government representatives demanded that the rector hand over the cathedral’s keys. On March 17, OCU representatives attempted to change the locks on the church.

The rector then called the police and filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office regarding an attempted illegal takeover of the church building and the falsification of documents concerning the church’s ownership.

The standoff between the parishioners and OCU representatives continues.