Low Number of UOC-to-OCU Shifts in Ukraine is a Catastrophe, Journalist Says

Olga Bulkovska. Photo: Media Center Ukraine

KYIV — On Nov. 20, 2025, in an interview with Media Center Ukraine titled, “(Un)Holy War: How the Moscow Patriarchate Supports Kremlin Agents in Ukraine," Volyn-based journalist Olga Bulkovska stated that the minimal number of transitions from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) is a catastrophe.

As reported by UOJ-Ukraine, she presented statistics for Volyn, where in 2019, 96 churches “transferred” into Serhiy "Epiphany" Dumenko’s structure, in 2020 – 3, in 2021 – 5, in 2022 – 45, in 2023 – 23, in 2024 – 10, and in 2025 – 3.

Bulkovska called these numbers “a catastrophe.” She is especially outraged that in places where these “transfers” occurred, UOC believers who lost their church immediately begin building a new one.

“And the catastrophe is not only in that, because, let me put it this way, very specifically: once churches transfer, construction immediately begins somewhere, or services start taking place in adapted premises, or something like a temporary structure is built that is supposed to become a church,” the journalist complains.

According to her, she is “hurt” that in the city of Lutsk itself only two churches transferred, one of which is a departmental, police garrison church.

She stated that UOC believers harm Ukraine, in particular by not wanting to let their husbands and sons go to war.

“That is, in the small region of Volyn there is a huge cancerous tumor that, in fact, poisons everything around it. And from there come these movements about the biggest enemies of the Territorial Recruitment Centers,” Bulkovska said.

Among the "good news," she mentioned the blocking of the UOJ website in Ukraine.

Previously, UOJ reported that a Ukrainian far-right leader claimed to be involved in seizing UOC churches.

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