Does Dumenko have a management crisis?

On May 9-10, 2023, Serhiy Dumenko is supposed to visit Volyn, Zinkevych’s patrimony. In local resources friendly to Zinkevych, Epifaniy is called the "head of the eparchy" of the OCU. And this is unlikely to be a slip of the tongue. Apparently, Mykhailo Zinkevych has not abandoned plans to lead this structure.

At the "Unification Council" of the OCU in December 2018, there were several candidates for the post of leader of the new structure: Simeon Shostatsky, Mykhailo Zinkevych, and Epifaniy Dumenko.

Poroshenko wanted Simeon Shostatsky as he comes from Vinnytsia and was well known to the then president. Moreover, many then said that it was for the sake of "primacy" that Shostatsky joined the OCU. This figure also suited the Phanar since Shostatsky was the only one of the three candidates who had canonical ordination.

Most representatives of the then UOC-KP voted for Zinkevych. He is relatively young, charismatic, and, as they say, a "man" who would help the OCU win favour and authority in society. And if it were not for Filaret's stubbornness, he would have become the head of the new structure.

Nobody wanted Epifaniy Dumenko, except for a few people, his "friends": Zoria, Agapit, and Photiy. Zoria, in particular, benefited (and still benefits) from Epifaniy's election. Many in the OCU say that he is the one who actually leads this organization now.

Filaret, who hoped to be the head of the new structure just like he was in the UOC-KP, understood perfectly well that neither Shostatsky nor Zinkevych would let him rule. Shostatsky didn't like Filaret's personality, and Zinkevich was too independent and explosive. Therefore, Denisenko was confident that the best candidate was the quiet and submissive Dumenko.

In the end, the coalition of Zoria, Dumenko and Filaret won. However, as we remember, Zoria "betrayed" his former "father" (as he called him) and convinced Dumenko that he should be the one in charge, not the "elder" Filaret.

Since then, dissatisfaction with Epifaniy and the policies he has chosen for his structure has been growing inside the OCU. And although the OCU has now received very serious support from the authorities and is massively seizing UOC temples, many "priests" and "bishops" in the OCU have a strong desire to change the leadership of the structure. They do not trust Epifaniy because they know that he is not the one in charge but rather Zoria. Almost all of them see Zinkevych as the head of the OCU. He is also not against it. Moreover, Zinkevych is currently not only negotiating with individual "bishops", trying to win them over to his side but also attempting to reach an agreement with the Phanar, promising the Phanariots certain preferences in exchange for leadership.

In public interviews and personal conversations with his entourage, Zinkevych has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the Tomos and the policy of non-independence of the OCU in relations with the Phanar.

Zinkevych promises that if he is "elected", he will create a "real" Ukrainian Church that not only all Local Churches will recognize but that the authorities will also take into account. For example, at the moment, representatives of the highest echelon of Ukrainian officials have not even a drop of respect for Dumenko, do not want to meet with him, and when he himself seeks such meetings, they literally "football" him (there are cases when Epifaniy was asked to leave the reception room of Ukrainian officials). Zinkevych claims that this will not happen in his relations with the authorities.

At the same time, Zinkevych presents himself as a continuator of Filaret's traditions (whom many "bishops" of the OCU still respect and revere, and some even secretly visit), and creates an image for himself as a fighter for Ukrainian "patriarchy".

At the same time, he is conducting an active information campaign, using all the resources at his disposal for this purpose.

For example, earlier he has given a big interview to the Lutsk edition "Konkurent", in which he said that the UOC should be physically banned from existing, and all priests who do not switch to the OCU will go work as loaders.

And just recently, the same "Konkurent" has visited "Patriarch" Filaret long-forgotten in the information field. Undoubtedly, this visit became possible only thanks to Zinkevych. Just as it can be no doubt that questions to Denysenko were also coordinated (if not written directly) with Zinkevych. It should be noted that the interview with the "Patriarch" of the UOC-KP came out a week before Epiphany's visit to Volyn (the visit is planned for May 9-10). Also, pay attention to how the Lutsk resource titled the news of Dumenko's arrival in the region: "Head of the OCU eparchy Epifaniy coming to Volyn: program of the visit". And the wording "head of the eparchy" is hardly a mistake of an illiterate editor. Rather, it is an attitude towards Epifaniy.

That is, the interview with Filaret is a "gift" from Zinkevych to Dumenko. Moreover, Filaret at the moment practically voices Zinkevych's position. Zinkevych, in turn, knows that Filaret will not keep quiet and will give "correct" and necessary answers to Zinkevych's correctly posed questions. And he was right.

For example, here's what Filaret says about Dumenko: "It's better not to do anything than to deal with complex problems. That's why he (Dumenko – Ed.) sits calmly. And if you unite, then problems will arise, and they need to be solved. But he’s not smart enough."

"Not smart enough" – these are exactly the words with which the "old guard" of the OCU characterizes Epifaniy.

Meanwhile, Filaret, in an interview with "Konkurent," proposed his own plan for "uniting" the UOC and OCU: "I suggest something else – all primates remain the leaders of their churches, and everyone unites in the Ukrainian Patriarchate. And then Onuphry remains in charge of his parishes, and Epifaniy remains in charge of his eparchies, and everyone only unites in the Patriarchate."

Filaret is confident that "sooner or later," Ukrainian Orthodoxy will come to this. Filaret did not explain the technical details of how to do this (except for a mention of choosing a "patriarch"), but it is not difficult to guess that he would not mind seeing either himself (if he lives to see it) or, of course, Zinkevych at the head of the new structure, this two-headed hydra.

In other words, despite the seeming power of the OCU, there is an active discussion within it about possible options for a change in leadership. Moreover, Filaret's words about the "Ukrainian Patriarchate," which will unite the UOC and OCU, can be perceived as a "working model" that Zinkevych is currently promoting, while Filaret is voicing it. How this affair will end is unknown, but it is already clear that the OCU is going through a management crisis that does not bode well for Dumenko.