DESS filed a lawsuit to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience has filed a lawsuit to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The head of the State Service, Viktor Yelensky, said that the leadership of the UOC did not ask the DESS to extend the time for eliminating its affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church, so the state will continue the process of liquidating the Church. He announced this on September 2, 2025, during a briefing for the media.

«According to the law, if there is information about a possible connection between a religious organization and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), then the State Service for Ethnic Policy assesses and assigns an investigation. If they had requested an extension of this period, the DESS could have extended it by 60 days. However, we received a letter from Onufriy. The letter is controversial, saying that the order allegedly does not apply to them and that we are interfering in their internal affairs. We must appeal to the court, as stated in the law. The Kyiv Metropolis has also issued several orders against the DESS. We demand that the UOC-MP leave the Russian Church,» — Viktor Yelensky emphasized.

The official added that the court proceedings concern only the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC. If the court rules in favor of the DESS, the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC will lose its legal entity status.

“This does not mean that parishes must transfer to another church; parishes, if they wish, can act autonomously and remain independent,” — said the head of DESS.

Earlier, the head of the Synodal Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Klyment (Vecheria), stated that representatives of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience should be held responsible for using documents from the Russian Orthodox Church, which is banned in Ukraine, in their research on the UOC.