The UOC won a lawsuit against Rivne authorities for the right to lease the diocesan office

The Rivne diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has won a lawsuit against the Rivne city authorities who demanded to terminate the lease agreement for the diocesan office building. The court dismissed the lawsuit, confirming the right of the church to use the premises until the end of martial law.

According to the Rivne Vechernie newspaper, the building is located on Kazimir Lubomirskyi Street, where the Rivne diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the office of Metropolitan Pimen of Rivne and Ostrozh. According to the court ruling, the current lease agreement remains in force until the end of martial law in the country, as the legislation allows its termination during this period only by mutual consent of the parties.

The secretary of the Rivne diocese, Archpriest Viktor Zemlyanoy, said that the attempt to terminate the contract has «exclusively political motivation» and is part of a general persecution of the Church. «Since the city filed a lawsuit, we were forced to meet them in court, but the law was on our side,» the clergyman noted.

Despite the legal dispute, the diocese expresses hope that constructive relations with the city council will be restored. Fr. Victor mentioned plans to build a new cathedral, which will require the assistance of the authorities in allocating a land plot. «If it is God’s will, our good communication with the city council will be restored,» he added.

At the same time, according to the publication, the pressure on the UOC in the region is not limited to the actions of the city authorities. Rivne regional military administration instructed district authorities to conduct an inventory of all real estate owned or used by religious organizations of the UOC on the territory of the region.

We will remind, earlier we reported that the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal in Kyiv has scheduled the first hearing on September 30, 2025 on the suit of the State Service of Ukraine on Ethno-politics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) to terminate the Kyiv Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This case may lead to the liquidation of the central governing body of the UOC.