Defense of The Faith
The OCU "Bishop" Who Sold Fake Clergy Certificates
How the Case of Kyrylo (Mykhailiuk) exposes the double standard the Ukrainian government applies to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
On October 5, 2026, the Kalush Municipal Court found “Bishop” Kyrylo Mykhailiuk guilty of producing fictitious documents certifying that 291 men were clerics of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). The charge was “obstructing the lawful activities of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.” His five-year prison sentence was suspended, and he was placed on three years’ probation. There is a lot to unpack here.
Until February 2, 2026, Mykhailiuk, 62, served as “Bishop” of Uzhhorod & Khust in the OCU. He has had an interesting ecclesiastical career. Born in the Ukrainian SSR, he attended Moscow Theological Seminary, where he was ordained deacon in 1986. In 1988, he was ordained a priest and assigned to a church in Bishche, Ternopil Oblast.
Read also
