DESS has updated the list of religious organizations linked to banned groups

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has updated the list of religious organizations recognized as affiliated with foreign religious entities, whose activities are prohibited by law in the country. The list includes the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Holy Trinity Stavropegic Monastery in Korets, and the Holy Intercession Holosiivskyi Hermitage. Inclusion on this list entails serious legal consequences under Ukrainian law.

According to the official website of the DESS, the decision was made in accordance with Article 3 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organizations.” Three major religious organizations legally registered in Ukraine were added to the list.

Among the organizations recognized as affiliated are: the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Holy Trinity Stavropegic Convent of the Moscow Patriarchate in Korets, as well as the “Holy Intercession Holosiivskyi Hermitage” of the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC.

According to the agency’s official statement, these organizations are officially recognized as affiliated with a foreign religious center whose activities are deemed to threaten national security and are prohibited on the territory of Ukraine. This decision entails legal consequences and restrictions clearly defined by the current legislation of Ukraine.

As a reminder, 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 nullifying the results of a previously conducted religious studies expert assessment.