DESS pushes for forfeiture of all UOC Kyiv Metropolia property

V. Yelensky. Photo: DESS Facebook

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has filed a suit with the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal seeking the compulsory liquidation of the Kyiv Metropolia of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the transfer of all its property, except for liturgical items, to state ownership. The corresponding court ruling of September 3, 2025 was published on the web portal of Ukraine’s judiciary.

In its statement of claim, DESS requests to “terminate the religious organization Kyiv Metropolia of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, EDRPOU 21510633, registered on 05.08.1991, by way of liquidation,” and to “transfer the property, funds, and other assets owned by the religious organization, excluding liturgical items, into state ownership.” The state service also asks the court to set a two-month period for creditors to submit claims.

The court accepted the statement of claim for consideration and scheduled a hearing for September 30, 2025 at 11:40 a.m. in the premises of the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal at 8 Kniazei Ostrozkykh St., Bldg. 30, Kyiv. The case will be considered under simplified proceedings as a matter of minor complexity.

The Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC has been given fifteen days to submit a response to the claim, counted from the day it is notified of the court’s decision and its contents. DESS has been given three days to file a reply to the defendant’s response.

The Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC was registered on August 5, 1991 and is one of the oldest religious organizations of independent Ukraine. Its structure includes hundreds of parishes and monasteries across the country.

The appellate court’s ruling enters into legal force upon signing and is not subject to cassation appeal.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that DESS had announced the date of the first court hearing against the Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC.

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