Overview
- Parishioners and the monastic community at the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery in Knyazhichi said they stopped an attempted takeover on December 5, according to a UOC-linked report cited by TASS.
- UOC attorney Nikita Chekman had warned that authorities planned to evict the community at 08:00 with police support, describing the move as contrary to legal timeframes.
- Chekman also reported that a state registrar changed the monastery’s legal address on December 4 without a request from the community.
- The legal drive to prohibit the UOC continues, with a state agency’s lawsuit filed on August 29 now in court after an October 30 opening hearing and another session scheduled for December 11.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a December 4 interview that the UOC is practically banned in Ukraine, citing church takeovers and expulsions.