In Ukraine, after the full-scale Russian invasion, the process of changing the confessional affiliation of the religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is unofficially called the “Moscow Patriarchate”, intensified.

 Believers are increasingly moving to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which, after receiving the Tomos in 2018, was recognized as autocephalous.

The last such case happened at the end of May in the Kirovohrad region in the village of Pryiutivka. Local believers who are members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate decided to hold a meeting regarding a possible change of denominational affiliation and transition to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

Representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate tried to interfere with the religious meeting, blocking the meeting and staging clashes. As residents of Pryiutivka said, these people were specially brought from different districts to disrupt the assembly. During the clashes, a believer of the Moscow Patriarchate took the phone from a journalist of a public broadcaster. Currently, the police are investigating this case under the article on obstruction of journalistic activity.

Meanwhile, according to the law, the local authorities are obliged to check the documents on the change of religious affiliation and re-register the community, determining its subordination to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.