DESS claims Pochaiv Lavra is “affiliated” with Russian Orthodox Church

The Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra. Photo: timetotravel.in.ua

On July 22, 2026, Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience announced that it had completed an assessment which, according to the agency, found signs that the UOC’s Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra was “affiliated” with a foreign religious organization banned in Ukraine, DESS said on its official page.

The agency said its conclusion was based on the Pochaiv Lavra’s inclusion in the structure of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the UOC’s Kyiv Metropolis, which DESS had previously declared to be linked to a foreign religious organization.

According to the agency, the monastery’s subordination to the Kyiv Metropolis is confirmed by the Lavra’s statute and other documents governing its activities. The statement, however, did not include the position of either the Pochaiv Lavra itself or the Ukrainian Orthodox Church regarding the assessment’s findings.

DESS also cited provisions of the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church which, according to the agency, provide for the abbot of the Pochaiv Lavra to participate in the governing bodies of the ROC.

The corresponding order was issued under the laws on freedom of conscience and the protection of the constitutional order in the sphere of religious organizations. The assessment had been underway since June 24, 2026.

As the UOJ reported earlier, a court opened proceedings in a DESS lawsuit seeking the dissolution of the Holosiiv Hermitage.

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