UOC-MP ordered to sever ties with ROC by August 24
15 August 09:04
The Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate must eliminate all signs of affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church by August 24, 2025. The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) sent the metropolis the corresponding order by mail on July 24. This was reported by the head of the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience Viktor Yelensky in a commentary to Ukrinform, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“The Kyiv Metropolis must ensure the withdrawal of the UOC from the ROC. The order does not require the UOC to betray Orthodoxy, change its doctrine, language of worship or calendar. The only requirement is to withdraw from the ROC and provide the relevant decisions of the church’s statutory bodies,” Yelenskyy said.
According to him, the deadline for fulfilling the order is one month from the date of receipt of the document. Earlier it was reported that the deadline was August 18, but due to the way the documents were delivered, the deadline was August 24.
The official added that if there is a reasonable request, the UOC-MP may receive an additional 60 days to comply with the requirement.
If the decision is not implemented by the deadline (August 24-25) and no request for an extension is received, the State Emergency Service will have the right to file a lawsuit to liquidate the Kyiv Metropolis as a legal entity. This will deprive it of legal personality.
At the same time, Yelenskyy said that the UOC-MP filed a lawsuit in court in an attempt to block the execution of the order. In his opinion, this indicates the church’s unwillingness to voluntarily sever ties with the ROC.
The SESU issued the order after conducting a study (May 20-July 8, 2025) to determine whether the Kyiv Metropolis is affiliated with a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine, in accordance with Article 3 of the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Religious Organizations.”
According to the results of the inspection, the SES established that:
- The Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC is part of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose activities in Ukraine are prohibited by law;
- the metropolitanate’s charter contains provisions confirming its affiliation with the UOC, which is affiliated with the ROC;
- The ROC has the right to make decisions binding on the Kyiv Metropolis on church and organizational issues;
- the leaders of the metropolis are obliged to be members of the governing bodies of the ROC.
Thus, if the UOC-MP fails to comply with the requirement by the end of August, it could lead to the judicial liquidation of one of the largest religious structures in Ukraine.
