Court denies DESS request for injunction in case of UOC convent liquidation

Korets Convent. Photo: open sources

On November 6, 2025, the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal denied the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) in its request to apply interim measures in the case concerning the cessation of activity of the Holy Trinity Korets Convent.

The DESS had filed a lawsuit demanding the liquidation of the monastery. Together with the claim, the agency submitted a motion for injunctive relief, asking the court to prohibit all state registrars, notaries, and local government bodies from carrying out any registration actions related to the monastery’s property and assets.

In its motion, the DESS argued that there was an alleged risk that the monastery might dispose of its property, funds, and other assets that, if the lawsuit were granted, would have to be transferred to state ownership.

However, the panel of judges – Olena Karpushova, Oleh Epel, and Volodymyr Faidyuk – concluded that there were no grounds to satisfy the request. The court’s ruling stated that at the time the motion for injunctive relief was considered, the proceedings in the case had not yet been opened, and therefore, the validity of the plaintiff’s claims must be examined during the substantive consideration of the case.

The court emphasized that the plaintiff had failed to provide clear evidence of unlawful activity by the defendant and had not submitted proper and admissible proof of the need for interim measures.

Furthermore, the judges noted that granting such measures before a final judgment would, in fact, amount to deciding the case without hearing it on the merits, which contradicts the purpose of injunctive relief.

The refusal to grant injunctive measures does not mean rejection of the lawsuit itself concerning the cessation of the monastery’s activity. The case will still be considered by the court in due legal order. The court ruling takes effect upon signature and may be appealed directly to the Supreme Court within thirty days.

Recall that the DESS previously alleged that the Korets Convent was affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Read also