Supreme Court rejects UOC's appeal in case of DESS directives

A session of the Cassation Administrative Court within the Supreme Court on October 29, 2025 Photo: interfax.com.ua

The Supreme Court of Ukraine dismissed the appeal of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the case against the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS). The decision was announced on October 29, 2025, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

The matter concerns the UOC's attempt to temporarily prohibit the agency from taking actions against church structures associated with the Kyiv Metropolis while the main lawsuit regarding its ban is being considered. The Church requested that the court apply protective measures, fearing that without them, DESS could issue directives to 154 religious organizations that are part of the metropolis. According to representatives of the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC, this could provoke numerous lawsuits for their prohibition.

However, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the previous instance, which refused to satisfy the request. A spokesperson for DESS stated during the session that the service had not issued and does not intend to issue such directives to the UOC structures.

As reported by the UOJ, DESS published a list of UOC organizations linked with the Kyiv Metropolis.

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