"Except the UOC": In Volyn, 439 representatives of religious organizations were exempted from mobilization

As of the end of October 2026, 439 members of various religious organizations in the Volyn Oblast have been granted exemption from mobilization, with the exception of clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to the VSN, most of them are leaders of religious organizations; however, during the program’s duration, 21 people lost their right to deferment for various reasons.

According to data from the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), 378 religious figures with deferrals hold leadership positions in their communities, while 61 are full-time employees. For most of them, the deferment is valid until May or September 2027.

At the same time, the procedure for revoking exemptions affected 21 people. The main reasons were the loss of “critically important” status by the religious organization (8 cases), a change in place of employment (7 cases), or dismissal (3 cases). In isolated cases, the status was revoked due to the recipient being granted a disability category, having multiple children, or being transferred to another position.

It is worth noting that the number of religious organizations in Volyn recognized as critically important has increased to 732. These include representatives of various denominations, such as the Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran churches, as well as Jewish and Muslim communities.

As a reminder, Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), previously stated officially that his agency does not grant exemptions from mobilization to clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The official emphasized that all such requests from representatives of the UOC had been rejected.