More than 5.7 thousand religious leaders in Ukraine are reserved from mobilization

As of today, 5739 clergymen — leaders and employees of religious organizations — have been reserved from mobilization in Ukraine. This was reported by the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (State Ethnic Policy).

According to Interfax-Ukraine, citing the response of the State Ethnic Policy, of the total number of booked persons, 4421 are clergy-heads of religious organizations, and 1318 are clergy-employees employed by religious organizations under employment contracts. In addition, the agency notes that 9216 religious organizations are currently recognized as critical to the functioning of the economy and the livelihoods of the population during a special period.

The possibility of booking clergy was provided by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on December 26, 2024. It was established that clergymen are subject to reservation in accordance with the list of positions approved by the State Ethnic Policy. It is important to note that legal entities — religious organizations — are not subject to the minimum wage requirement of UAH 20 thousand, which applies to employees of other critical enterprises.

Earlier, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience published a list of criteria according to which religious leaders may be granted a deferral from mobilization. According to the list, clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will not be able to be exempted from mobilization, as the UOC falls under the anti-church law No. 3894.