"This isn't like the religious procession in Pochaiv!": The State Emergency Service discussed security measures for the Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) held a meeting to discuss arrangements for welcoming tens of thousands of Hasidic pilgrims to Uman during the Rosh Hashanah celebrations. With martial law in effect, the authorities have focused their efforts on security, logistics, and coordinating the work of relevant agencies.

According to information provided by the DESS to the holiday events are scheduled for September 11–13. To manage the arrival of the pilgrims, 21 border crossing points are planned to be activated. The agency’s head, Viktor Yelensky, emphasized that the safety of pilgrims is a key priority; to this end, an operational headquarters has already been set up in Uman to coordinate the actions of all responsible agencies.

As part of preparations for the event, special attention is being paid to fire safety and medical care. Sixteen foreign mediators will be brought in to maintain public order and facilitate communication with the pilgrims. Work is also continuing to verify the readiness of shelters, and the mechanisms for collecting the tourist tax are being finalized; explanations regarding these will soon be published on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

As a reminder, on August 22, 2025, the Zbarazh City Council published a resolution, according to which it prohibited participants in the religious procession of believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from Kamianets-Podilskyi to the Pochaiv Lavra from passing through the city. The city administration did not specify the reasons for the ban. Later, the Zbarazh Territorial Community also issued a similar ban.