Pensioner sues OCU cleric: earned the trust and deceived

Olena Volianiuk and OCU cleric Rostyslav Didukh. Photo: kovel.media

An OCU cleric gained the trust of an elderly pensioner, and after she transferred her property to him, he stopped looking after her as outlined in their agreement. Now the woman is trying to reclaim her property through a lawsuit. Kovel Media reports on the case.

Olena Mefodiivna Volianiuk, who is now 89 years old, was left alone after her husband passed away last summer. A social worker had previously cared for the elderly couple. On April 4, 2024, a lifetime care agreement was signed between Olena Volianiuk and Rostyslav Didukh, an "archpriest" of the OCU and rector of the Church of the Transfiguration in Kovel.

According to the agreement, Olena Volianiuk transferred ownership of her apartment in Kovel to the OCU cleric, in exchange for which he was obligated to provide her with lifelong care and maintenance.

Less than two months later, the pensioner, through her lawyer, filed a lawsuit against Rostyslav Didukh, requesting the court to annul the lifetime care agreement.

The lawsuit states that since the agreement was signed, the defendant "has not fulfilled any of the obligations stipulated in the contested agreement, namely: he has never provided the plaintiff with daily three meals; has never purchased necessary medications, goods, or food for the plaintiff; and has never cleaned the apartment, done laundry, or other necessary tasks."

The plaintiff also claims that the defendant took possession of her bank card and withdrew a large sum of her money.

Rostyslav Didukh did not appear at the court hearing. A third party – private notary Natalia Kozoryz – submitted a request for the case to be heard in his absence.

As the UOJ previously reported, in Cherkasy, the OCU falsified documents to seize a UOC cathedral.

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