Court opens proceedings on Kyiv Metropolis lawsiut vs. Cabinet of Ministers

The court has begun reviewing the UOC’s lawsuit. Photo: open sources

On June 27, 2025, the Kyiv District Administrative Court opened proceedings in case No. 320/31780/25 based on the lawsuit filed by the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church against the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, according to the UOC’s press service.

The lawsuit challenges the government’s Resolution No. 543 of May 9, 2025, “On Approving the Procedure for Conducting an Investigation into the Presence of Signs of Affiliation of a Religious Organization with a Foreign Religious Organization Whose Activities Are Prohibited in Ukraine.”

Based on this resolution, the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) issued Order No. H-70/11 on May 16, which launched, starting May 20, an investigation into signs of affiliation of the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC with a foreign religious organization.

The Kyiv Metropolis emphasizes that it received no official request for information about its activities. None of its representatives were invited to provide explanations, which in effect deprived the religious organization of the opportunity to defend its rights and interests.

The lawsuit notes that the challenged Cabinet resolution violates the Constitution of Ukraine, legislative drafting norms, and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights. The Kyiv Metropolis is asking the court to declare the Cabinet of Ministers’ resolution unlawful and invalid.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC had filed suit against the Cabinet.

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