OCU Cleric Calls UOC Believers 'Rot' That Must be 'Cleansed'
A clergyman of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine sparked controversy after saying Ukrainian Orthodox Church believers need to be cleansed from Ukraine in a video posted to Facebook.
CHERKASY — On May 5, 2026, Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) cleric Nazariy Zasansky posted a video on Facebook in which he sharply denounced canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) believers, referring to them as “rot” that must be “cleansed from Ukraine,” according to his remarks.
The video was prompted by the funeral of Yevhen Kora, a volunteer of the Da Vinci Battalion, which Zasansky said he conducted at the request of the fallen soldier’s father. He stated that the service was organized by the soldier’s aunt, a parishioner of the UOC, and claimed she had wanted the burial performed by priests of the canonical Church. He characterized this as aligning with what he described as the “Moscow Church,” which he accused of blessing violence in the war.
Zasansky further criticized both laymen and government officials who oppose coercive approaches toward religious communities, suggesting that national leadership fails to understand religious issues. He argued that the UOC represents an “enemy inside the country” and concluded that it must be removed, warning that failure to do so would jeopardize Ukraine’s victory. He did not specify any concrete measures for how such “cleansing” should be carried out.
Previously, the UOJ reported that the whereabouts of Hierodeacon Eulogiy had remained unknown after his detention by military recruitment officials in Ukraine.
