DESS postpones lawsuit against UOC diocesan administrations until trial of Kyiv Metropolis is over

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has not yet filed a lawsuit to terminate the activities of the diocesan administrations of the UOC. The agency is waiting for the final completion of the lawsuits against the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC, after which work will begin on the diocesan administrations. This was reported by Suspilne.

The head of the State Department of Economic and Social Services, Viktor Yelenskyy, explained that lawsuits against religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church are filed in accordance with their hierarchical structure. Currently, the case against the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC is being considered by the Administrative Court of Cassation, and the next hearing is scheduled for May 19. However, the process has faced legal obstacles: The Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal declared Yelensky’s actions to approve the conclusion on the UOC’s ties to the Russian Orthodox Church unlawful, which obliges the service to conduct a second examination.

As reported, on April 6, 2026, the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in case No. 320/26027/23, effectively canceling the results of the earlier religious examination.