The DESS failed to liquidate any UOC religious organization accused of being "affiliated" with the ROC

As of the spring of 2026, no religious organization of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine that has signs of affiliation with the banned Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) has been finally liquidated in court for failing to comply with state orders. Despite the legal mechanisms that have been put in place, court proceedings against key facilities, including the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC, are still pending.

According to Glavkom, citing an official response from the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), the agency “is conducting systematic work to identify ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.” In particular, on August 29, 2025, the DESS filed a lawsuit with the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal to terminate the activities of the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC. A similar lawsuit was filed on November 4, 2025, against the Korets Holy Trinity Stavropegic Monastery. According to Viktor Voynalovych, First Deputy Head of the DESS, no organization has been closed by the court for ignoring the requirements of the law.

In response to the state’s actions, the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC filed a counterclaim, trying to challenge the DESS order of July 17, 2025. Representatives of the church insist that the requirements to eliminate affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate contradict Article 35 of the Constitution of Ukraine on freedom of religion, as well as international law and ECHR decisions. The DESS emphasizes that the work is being carried out within the framework of the law “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Religious Organizations,” which came into force in September 2024.

As we reported earlier, since the beginning of full-scale hostilities in Ukraine, the OCU has managed to take control of 1387 religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) using administrative resources and other illegal methods . However, according to the latest data from the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), by the beginning of 2026, the pace of this “process” had slowed significantly, and in most regions of the country, the dynamics had practically come to a standstill.