DESS detects affiliation of Kyiv Metropolis of UOC with ROC

An illustrative photo: DESS

In the evening of July 8, 2025, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) published an order titled "On the Detection of Signs of Affiliation of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church" on its official resources.

The agency claims to have discovered "signs of affiliation of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the Russian Orthodox Church, whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine."

In the published order, officials specifically state that, in their opinion, the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC is part of the structure of the ROC, which is classified as a banned organization under Ukrainian law. They write that the statutory documents of the Kyiv Metropolis contain signs of subordination to the UOC, which, in turn, is allegedly affiliated with the ROC.

Further, the agency refers to ROC's documents, which become their main arguments. Specifically, the State Service claims that:
– the decisions of the Bishops' Council and the Holy Synod of the ROC, as well as the Statute of the ROC itself, provide the right to manage the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC, including canonical and organizational issues;
– according to these documents, representatives of the Kyiv Metropolis are required to be part of the governing bodies the ROC, whose activities are banned in Ukraine.

Detailed conclusions published by the State Service can be found here:

Order on the Detection of Signs of Affiliation of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Research Results on the Presence of Signs of Affiliation of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with a Foreign Religious Organization, Whose Activities are Prohibited in Ukraine

Appendices to the Research Results on the Presence of Signs of Affiliation of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with a Foreign Religious Organization, Whose Activities are Prohibited in Ukraine.

Previously, DESS expert Dmytro Vovk stated that the UOC contradicts international law. However, according to his assertion, in practice, a mass ban on the activities of UOC communities is possible solely based on the official position of the State Service on the "ties" of the Kyiv Metropolis with the ROC.

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