Ukrainian Man Fined for Claiming OCU Seizes Churches
Court rules Facebook posts criticizing Epifany Dumenko and promoting UOC “exclusivity” incited religious hostility.
RIVNE — A resident of Rivne Oblast has been found guilty of inciting religious enmity and offending believers of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) through a series of social media posts that criticized the OCU and its leader, Metropolitan Epifany.
According to the Volodymyrets District Court, the man posted on Facebook in December 2024 and April 2025, condemning Epifany’s actions, questioning the legitimacy of the OCU and accusing it of seizing churches and monasteries. One post titled, “The SBU and GPU confirmed that the UOC is not the ‘Moscow Church,’” was accompanied by language the court deemed as “demeaning statements regarding the religious beliefs of OCU supporters.”
Another post questioned: “If the OCU is the true historical Church in Ukraine, then why does it seize churches and monasteries?”
The court found that the posts contained insults, promoted the “exclusivity” of the UOC, and incited religious hatred between UOC and OCU adherents. He was charged under Article 161, Part 1 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code for violating citizens’ equality based on religious beliefs.
Judge Lyudmyla Kotyk imposed a fine of 3,400 hryvnias (approximately $81), and the man’s iPhone was returned to him.
Previously, UOJ reported that a violent raid had taken place on the grounds of the Holy Spirit Cathedral of the UOC in Chernivtsi.
