UOC Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Address: 2 Kirova Street, Moshny village, Cherkasy Region
The UOC Savior–Transfiguration Church in the village of Moshny was seized by a group of militants linked to the extremist organization “Bratstvo.”
The criminal group broke into the church grounds, cut off the locks, and desecrated the altar.
🔴 On April 16, 2024, the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church stated that documents had been falsified on the basis of which the Savior–Transfiguration religious community of the village of Moshny (Cherkasy District) was re-registered under the OCU.
“As has already become customary in recent months, for the purpose of raiding yet another Orthodox church, the OCU has even stopped, as it used to do before, holding fake meetings of territorial communities, which were then presented as meetings of ‘religious communities,’” the Cherkasy Diocese said.
According to the diocesan press service, a month earlier an “OCU cleric,” Mykola Yevheniev, “somewhere at his home, acting alone,” and even without the knowledge of the territorial community of Moshny and the head of the local hromada (OTG), Bohdan Shkarbuta, held a “meeting of the religious community to change its affiliation to the OCU.” The diocese stressed that there had been no real meeting of the Orthodox parish, and that the minutes of this alleged meeting were forged.
“Contrary to the law, without any authority to do so, and without the parish’s Statute or seal, Mykola Yevheniev, through his intermediary, submits the relevant forged minutes of the ‘religious community meeting’ to the Department of Culture and Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Cherkasy Regional State (Military) Administration,” the statement said.
🔴On April 4, 2024, state registrar Yevhen Shtryk entered changes in the Unified State Register (EDRPOU) for the Savior–Transfiguration religious community, unlawfully changing its name, replacing its head, and removing the founder of the religious community.
“Now only one small step remains – to bring in militants with clubs and angle grinders, beat and drive the parishioners out into the street, and hand over the beautiful historic Vorontsov church for OCU use. And another ‘voluntary transfer of the religious community’ will have taken place!” the diocese wrote.
As the diocesan press service explained, the church – a landmark that was part of Vorontsov’s palace-and-park ensemble in Moshny near Cherkasy – was built in 1839 by the architect Giorgio Torricelli. For all these years it has been maintained by the Savior–Transfiguration religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, “which has no intention whatsoever of ‘transferring’ anywhere from its confession.”
(Source: Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC)
🔴 On November 16, 2025, in the village of Moshny, Cherkasy Region, OCU militants seized the church.
After the Sunday Liturgy, a group of men in balaclavas with yellow armbands entered the church. The group was led by an OCU “dean.” After UOC faithful were driven out of the church, the militants began an inventory of church property.
The UOC rector, Archpriest Oleh Markhylevych, was forced under threats to sign a handover–acceptance act for the church, although he had no authority to do so. The Transfiguration Church is a monument of national heritage and is on the state’s balance sheet. In the 1990s, a “custodial agreement” for the church was signed with the UOC community. That agreement was not terminated – it was simply ignored unlawfully.
In a video filmed inside the seized church, men in balaclavas with yellow armbands stand at the entrance, while a woman shouts: “At last the Savior–Transfiguration Church, which Count Vorontsov built, is ours!”
🔴 On November 20, 2025, Dmytro Korchynskyi – the leader of the extremist organization “Bratstvo” and former head of UNA–UNSO – publicly acknowledged his involvement in the “transfers” and forcible seizures of UOC churches in Cherkasy and the village of Moshny.
Korchynskyi wrote this on his Facebook page while leveling complaints against the head of the OCU’s Cherkasy diocese.
In his post, Korchynskyi criticized the “Metropolitan” of Cherkasy and Chyhyryn, Ioan, accusing him of “weakness” and “opposition” to the “transfer” of UOC parishes to the OCU. At the same time, he directly stated that “Bratstvo is actively involved in transferring churches into OCU jurisdiction, in particular churches in Cherkasy and Moshny,” effectively confirming his group’s participation in the seizures of UOC churches.
(Source: Korchynskyi’s Facebook page)
🔴 On November 22, 2025, local authorities restricted OCU activists’ access to the church by changing the locks after the forcible seizure of the shrine.
According to the Dozor Telegram channel, the head of the Moshny community, Bohdan Shkarbuta, arrived at the church together with police officers to install new locks.
“One of the two OCU supporters in the village posted a video in which he complains about the actions of the head of the Moshny OTG, Bohdan Shkarbuta,” the report says.
It is noted that by doing so they blocked the illegal use of the church by supporters of Dumenko’s structure, who previously failed to prove either their rights or the legality of their actions.
In the end, the raiders tore off the locks on the Savior–Transfiguration church and occupied the church again.
December 23, 2025. Checheliivka. The church was seized by a group of OCU raiders backed by police
A church in the Cherkasy region was seized by a group of OCU militants in uniform. Nationalist groups are likely involved.
Hospital Administration Seized a UOC Church
An SBU officer personally supervised the church seizure.