Roman Hryshchuk
A cleric of the Chernivtsi–Bukovyna Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), former dean of the Hlyboka District.
OCU cleric Roman Hryshchuk is described as a serial raider of Epifaniy’s structure, responsible for the majority of seizures of Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) churches in Chernivtsi Oblast.
Hryshchuk personally advises, organizes, and oversees illegal assemblies of territorial communities at which parish documents are falsified.
Moreover, the OCU cleric is reported to be an organizer of violent assaults on churches, often bringing in hired militants.
Hryshchuk is also known for publicly inciting hatred against UOC believers and clergy.
🔴 16 March 2023 — Roman Hryshchuk called clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church “moskvorotye” (“Moscow-mouthed”) and stated that they conduct services “in the language of the aggressor.”
“To hear the singing of ‘moskvorotye’ over you when you are being buried in the language of the aggressor is, for him (the fallen soldier), enormous pain and torment,” Hryshchuk said, speaking about the funeral of soldier Mykhailo Kalanch in the village of Hlyboka.
The “priest” stated that the decision of the fallen soldier’s father to hold the funeral in a UOC church was “regrettable,” since the church was allegedly “temporarily occupied by the Moscow Patriarchate.”
Hryshchuk incited hatred, claiming that Church Slavonic is a “Russified Moscow language planned for the Russification of Ukraine’s population.”
Commenting on the funeral held in the UOC Intercession Church, Hryshchuk suggested that those present imagine “that in some Russian backwater another ‘Muscovite’ had died and was being buried in the Ukrainian language.”
🔴 20 May 2023 — An armed group of OCU representatives seized the Holy Ascension Church of the UOC in the village of Ryngach, Chernivtsi Oblast.
At around 9:00 a.m., a “storm brigade” of OCU supporters arrived in Ryngach, broke the church fence, smashed windows, and seized the Holy Ascension Church.
The militants brutally beat two parishioners and a UOC priest.
The raiders were led by Roman Hryshchuk.
(Source: media outlet Pershyi Kozatskyi)
🔴 2 July 2023 — Roman Hryshchuk organized illegal gatherings of OCU activists in the House of Culture of the village of Lenkivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast.
About 30 activists under his leadership attempted to falsify documents for the Saints Peter and Paul UOC Church.
🔴 7 February 2024 — A group of OCU representatives seized the UOC Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the town of Sokyriany, Chernivtsi Oblast.
At around 8:00 p.m., several dozen people led by Hryshchuk cut the lock on the door of an auxiliary room (the sacristy).
The auxiliary room has direct access through the altar to the main part of the church. Witnesses reported that after cutting the lock, the raiders entered the church through the sacristy and the altar.
OCU clerics were present inside the church together with police officers, who did not prevent the cutting of locks.
🔴 11 February 2024 — Roman Hryshchuk organized an illegal assembly of OCU activists at the House of Culture in the village of Staryi Volchynets, planning to re-register the UOC Nativity of the Theotokos Church under their structure.
🔴 15 April 2024 — Hryshchuk publicly called for pressure on the authorities to achieve a “real ban” of the UOC.
The OCU cleric stated that UOC priests would no longer voluntarily transfer to the OCU.
“In practice, in our realities, the salvation of the drowning lies solely in the hands of the drowning themselves! The duty of every community before its soldiers and descendants is to remove its church from Moscow occupation! Preferably with the priest! If not — then without!” he wrote.
(Source: Roman Hryshchuk’s personal Facebook page)
🔴 28 July 2024 — A criminal group of OCU activists attempted to initiate the seizure of the historic Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos UOC Church in the village of Vornychany, Chernivtsi Oblast.
Several activists organized a territorial community meeting aimed at “transferring” the Orthodox parish to the OCU.
The raiders were supervised by what was described as the “odious OCU chaplain” Roman Hryshchuk.
(Source: DOZOR on Pershyi Kozatskyi)
🔴 24 November 2024 оn his Facebook page, Roman Hryshchuk called for Bukovyna to be “cleansed” of the UOC, following the example of the authorities in Lviv Oblast.
“Today is a historic day for Lviv Oblast the region has been cleansed of the Moscow Patriarchate,” Hryshchuk quoted Lviv Regional Military Administration head Maksym Kozytskyi.
It is noted that Lviv Oblast authorities facilitated raider seizures and forced closures of UOC churches. Currently, no UOC churches function in the region, and Orthodox communities are forced to gather secretly for worship in residential premises.
(Source: Roman Hryshchuk’s personal Facebook page)
🔴 4 January 2025 Near the House of Culture in the Sadgora district of Chernivtsi, a territorial community meeting was held that decided on the illegal transfer of the UOC Intercession Church for use by the OCU. The illegal gathering was supervised by Hryshchuk.
(Source: DOZOR on Pershyi Kozatskyi)
🔴 19 January 2025 Hryshchuk organized illegal territorial community meetings at which OCU supporters transferred the UOC Dormition Church in the village of Komarivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast, to their structure.
🔴 30 January 2025 In the village of Dubivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast, OCU representatives held a territorial community meeting in the village club, attempting to “transfer” the UOC Dormition Church.
The organizers, among whom the odious OCU cleric Hryshchuk was named, failed to prevent believers from attending.
Out of 115 registered participants, 70 voted against transferring to the OCU and in favor of remaining within the UOC.
Hryshchuk and his associates fled, stealing the registration lists, which they now present as evidence of unanimous support for transfer.
However, parishioners retained meeting protocols clearly showing the actual results.
(Source: DOZOR on Pershyi Kozatskyi)
🔴 2 February 2025 — In the village of Verkhni Stanivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast, a gathering of people transported by OCU representatives led by Roman Hryshchuk took place.
Under the guise of a “prayer for soldiers,” an illegal meeting was held at which the UOC St. Nicholas Church was “transferred” to the OCU.
(Source: Roman Hryshchuk’s personal Facebook page)
🔴 6 February 2025 — The Bukovyna Diocese of the UOC reported preparations for a raider seizure of the UOC Church of St. Basil the Great and Martyr Basilissa in Chernivtsi.
According to clergy, on 9 February OCU representatives planned an illegal “assembly” and falsification of documents to initiate re-registration of the community. The actions were reportedly coordinated by serial OCU raider Roman Hryshchuk and his associates.
(Source: DOZOR on Pershyi Kozatskyi)
🔴 10 February 2025 — Representatives of the UOC in Storozhynets District appealed to state and diplomatic institutions to protect their rights from unlawful encroachments.
In an open letter signed by Archpriest Vasyl Kovalchuk and clergy of the Storozhynets Deanery, detailed plans for seizures of UOC churches were described, and individuals involved in organizing pressure on believers were named.
According to the clergy, the pressure was coordinated by OCU representatives Roman Hryshchuk, Ioan Shchypor, Petro Andriichuk, and Mykhailo Smoliak, who were said to be “inciting religious hatred.”
(Source: Facebook page Biserica Sf. Gheorghe Storojineț)
🔴 14 February 2025 — On the eve of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, a group of unknown individuals planned to “transfer” the UOC Intercession Church in the settlement of Hlyboka to the OCU.
Information about the illegal assembly was published by “Bukovynskyi Dzvin OCU.” Roman Hryshchuk was to lead the meeting.
🔴 16 February 2025 — In Chernivtsi, a crowd led by several OCU clerics held a meeting under the fence of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC to “transfer” three churches at once: the Holy Spirit Cathedral, St. Nicholas Cathedral, and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul.
Hryshchuk participated in the falsifications and illegal assembly. (Source: SPZh)
🔴 3 March 2025 — In the village of Stari Broskivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast, OCU activists under the leadership of Hryshchuk planned to secretly falsify documents for two UOC churches at once: the Church of Saints Peter and Paul and the Paraskeva Church.
Supporters of the OCU conducted voting without formal procedures, declaring a “unanimous decision” despite only about a dozen raised hands.
(Source: DOZOR on Pershyi Kozatskyi)
🔴 Night of 8–9 April 2025 — A group of militants led by Roman Hryshchuk broke into the UOC St. Nicholas Church in Verkhni Stanivtsi, barricaded themselves inside, and used violence against women attempting to stop them. One young woman was beaten in the face with a stick until bleeding.
After parish men arrived, the attackers were forced to leave. Police did not intervene.
🔴 12 April 2025 — OCU raiders cut locks and seized the UOC St. Nicholas Church in Verkhni Stanivtsi. The operation was directed by Roman Hryshchuk.
🔴 12 May 2025 — In the village of Spaska, OCU clerics seized the historic UOC Church of John of Suceava.
The seizure was led by Roman Hryshchuk.
🔴 21 May 2025 — In the village of Ust-Putyla, OCU militants under Hryshchuk’s leadership attempted to seize the UOC St. Paraskeva Church.
Believers arriving for the Liturgy were barred entry, while police guarded the occupiers.
🔴 30 May 2025 — OCU clerics and activists, supported by police, stormed and seized the UOC Elijah Church in the village of Zabolottya, Chernivtsi Oblast.
Hryshchuk arrived at the scene after the seizure.
‼️ 18 June 2025 — Roman Hryshchuk called parishioners who liberated their cathedral from militants “zombies” and indirectly called for their destruction.
In one of his posts, Hryshchuk called Metropolitan Meletii of Chernivtsi an “FSB agent” who “thanks deceived zombies who contributed to defending Russia in Bukovyna.” In another post, Hryshchuk published a fragment from the Hollywood film World War Z, showing soldiers shooting a crowd of zombies attacking a wall. Instead of the film’s original soundtrack, the OCU cleric overlaid the audio of Metropolitan Meletii’s thanksgiving speech delivered after the liberation of the Holy Spirit Cathedral from militants.
“Briefly about what happened yesterday in Chernivtsi near the Holy Spirit Cathedral. It is a pity that in the eleventh year of the war, while the savage ones are destroying our cities and killing our children, men, and women, we still treat this sect of the Moscow Patriarchate with tolerance. In my humble opinion, it should be like in the video,” Hryshchuk wrote.
(Source: Roman Hryshchuk’s personal Facebook page)
🔴 17 June 2025 — Roman Hryshchuk, together with his son and four associates, broke the gates of the UOC St. Nicholas Church in Chernivtsi.
(Source: Pershyi Kozatskyi channel)
🔴 28 September 2025 — In the village of Nahoriany, Chernivtsi Oblast, a group of men broke into the UOC Nativity of the Theotokos Church using an angle grinder and crowbars. The seizure was supervised by Roman Hryshchuk.
🔴 29 September 2025 — In the village of Kerstentsi of the Khotyn Deanery, Chernivtsi Diocese, the UOC Transfiguration Church was seized.
According to eyewitnesses, the seizure was carried out by OCU supporters led by Roman Hryshchuk, accompanied by chaplains and police officers, who also blocked access to the village.
Vicar of the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC-KP (OCU) in the city of Poltava, archpriest of the OCU.
Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS)
A Member of the Verkhovna Rada of the 9th convocation from the Holos party, a consistent advocate of discrimination against and the banning of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; formerly a member of the All-Ukrainian Union “Svoboda.”