Without UOC: DESS announces new stage of clergy exemptions
War in Ukraine, illustrative image. Photo: open sources
The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has opened the second stage of the reservation process for clergy employed in critically important religious organizations, according to the agency’s official website.
On November 8, 2025, the DESS order “On Approving the Procedure for Submitting Documents for Reserving Clergy During Mobilization and Wartime” came into force, establishing the mechanism for submitting exemption documents.
The first stage covered only the heads of religious organizations – one per organization listed in the Unified State Register. The new stage now extends the reservation process to all other clergy employed under labor contracts in religious organizations deemed critically important and included in the official list.
Notably, as before, clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) are excluded from the reservation list. According to DESS official Vyacheslav Horshkov, the agency cites unresolved issues related to Law No. 2662-VIII on the renaming of religious groups whose leadership centers are allegedly located in an aggressor state. To apply for reservation, the UOC would need to comply with this law – which in practice means acknowledging “affiliation” with the Russian Orthodox Church, the official noted.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that UOC Chancellor Metropolitan Anthony called the mobilization of UOC clergy a deliberate desecration of holy orders.
Read also
Media show abandoned churches in Lviv region falling into ruin
A blogger has drawn attention to the condition of shrines in Lviv region that have been left without care or protection.
Hierarch of Constantinople: We hold highest authority in Orthodox Church
Archbishop Elpidophoros compared the status of the Church of Constantinople to the position of the pope in the Roman Catholic Church.
Authorities strip UOC community of St Michael’s Church in Krasnokutsk
The prosecutor’s office described the deprivation of the UOC community’s property rights to the St Michael’s church in Krasnokutsk as “the protection of historical heritage”.
Abbess Serafima appeals to premier over eviction of nuns in Baturyn
The head of the Synodal Department of the UOC “Church and Culture” asks Svyrydenko to restore to the sisters of the St Nicholas Monastery in Baturyn the opportunity to remain there through the winter until a court ruling is issued.
Orthodox bishops lead a prayer at March for Life in Washington
Hierarchs from different Local Churches offered a prayer for unborn children at the largest pro-life event in the United States, which drew about 10,000 participants.
UOC's Dormition Monastery in Odesa damaged by shelling
During the night, the Dormition Monastery came under fire. Utility and church buildings were damaged, and one person was wounded.