DESS finds “Moscow ties” at Holosiiv Monastery

Holy Protection Men’s Monastery, Holosiiv Hermitage. Photo: Kyiv Foto

On March 24, 2026, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience said it had identified signs of affiliation between the Holy Protection Holosiiv Hermitage of the Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC and the Russian Orthodox Church, the DESS press service reports.

The review was conducted from January 26 to March 19 following an appeal by members of parliament. Based on its findings, DESS said there were signs linking the monastery to a religious organization banned in Ukraine.

The document states that Holosiiv Hermitage is a structural part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and belongs to the Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC. The agency says the monastery is subordinate to the Metropolitan of Kyiv and the Holy Synod, while its activities are governed by the UOC’s internal documents.

At the same time, DESS stresses that the Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC had previously been recognized as affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church and that, accordingly, this connection, in the agency’s view, extends to all organizations within its structure.

The review also cites provisions of the ROC charter under which bishops of the UOC take part in the governing bodies of the Russian Orthodox Church. The agency treats this as an additional argument for concluding that the monastery is affiliated with the ROC.

Many observers are asking what the real reason for the inspection of Holosiiv Monastery was, since the formal trigger was the activity of the Orthodox school located on its grounds, where, according to media reports, Soviet-era teaching materials were used and Russian was taught.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that DESS had announced plans to inspect Holosiiv Monastery for ties to Moscow. According to that report, the reason for the agency’s heightened interest was the activity of the Orthodox school.

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