Head of DESS reports on seizure of 2,000 UOC parishes in 8 years

Since 2018, almost 2,000 religious communities have been transferred from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the OCU with the assistance of the state. This was announced by the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, during a press conference in Kyiv. It was reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

According to the statistics presented, the dynamics of the so-called transitions, and in fact, the seizures of UOC parishes, has changed significantly over the years. While in 2018 only 2 communities were transferred to the OCU, in 2019 their number increased to 319. In 2020 and 2021, there was a decline (30 and 25 communities, respectively), but since 2022 the process has intensified significantly: in 2022, 483 communities transferred, in 2023 – 471, in 2024 – 233, and in 2025 – 191 religious organizations.

To recap, the Ukrainian authorities have begun to exercise greater caution in their actions against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) amid growing pressure from high-ranking officials in the United States. According to former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, this change in tactics is caused by the attention of American politicians to the religious situation in the country.