OCU сleric in Kosmach seizes his own church as parish rejects new calendar
With police support and the backing of the village council head, the “priest” cut off the locks on the church with an angle grinder and threatened dissenting parishioners with forced mobilization.
In the village of Kosmach in Ivano-Frankivsk region, OCU cleric Vasyl Kyfor carried out a forcible seizure of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, according to the Pershyi Kozatskyi Telegram channel. Eyewitnesses say the priest took this step after the overwhelming majority of the parish refused to adopt the Revised Julian calendar.
The conflict in the village began as far back as November 23, 2025, when 2,000 members of the religious community voted to preserve the Julian calendar, while only 200 parishioners supported the change. Kyfor refused to accept the decision of his flock and declared the church closed, saying the issue would have to be resolved by the eparchy. On Christmas Day, January 7, he refused to celebrate the service, citing illness, and forbade anyone from being appointed to replace him.
On January 14, 2026, the parish held a second meeting and once again confirmed its loyalty to the old calendar. After that, supporters of the reform began inciting hatred against the majority of the faithful, branding them “Moskals.” Then, on March 8, Kyfor brought around 100 people to the church, including, according to local residents, Catholics. The forceful takeover was backed by police officers and by village council chairman Dmytro Mokhnachuk. Kyfor cut off the locks with an angle grinder and entered the building. At the same time, believers who tried to defend the shrine were threatened with immediate mobilization if they resisted.
On March 9, the parish received the appointment of a new cleric, but Kyfor refused to allow him to serve and changed the locks once again. Representatives of the parish who have remained faithful to the Julian calendar say they are facing an effective information blockade and are unable to bring the truth about the events in Kosmach to the wider public.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that due to calendar disputes, an OCU church in Kosmach canceled its Christmas services.
