The OCU has punished Filaret's followers who proclaimed their own patriarch

The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has decided to defrock a group of clergy who proclaimed their own “patriarch” following the death of Honorary Patriarch Filaret. 

This was reported in a Facebook post by OCU Bishop Yevstratiy Zora. Church leadership emphasized that the actions of this “marginal group” bear signs of promoting Russian interests, and most of its members are located outside Ukraine.

According to the Synod’s decision, the clerical rank has been stripped from monk Nikodim Kobzar, who calls himself “patriarch,” as well as Mykhailo Kovaluk and Nikon Hrabliuk, who call themselves “metropolitans.” The OCU emphasized that these individuals never held the episcopal rank and have now lost their status as priests due to canonical offenses. Similar sanctions threaten all other clergy who support the newly formed structure.

The conflict escalated after March 20, 2026, when associates of the late Filaret attempted, through an “online council,” to revive the Kyiv Patriarchate, which officially ceased to exist back in 2018. The OCU reminds that it is the sole legal successor to all names and property of the former UOC-KP, and any use of these names by third parties is illegal. The Synod called on believers not to succumb to the provocations of impostors who violate church canons and statutes.

The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) has officially condemned the anti-canonical activities of a group of individuals who are illegally using the name “Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate.” 

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine does not officially recognize the document published as the “testament” of the late Honorary Patriarch Filaret, considering it manipulative.