DESS to probe Boryspil Eparchy of UOC for links to ROC

Illustration for the investigation into the Boryspil Eparchy of the UOC. Photo: UOJ

On August 24, 2026, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience will begin an investigation into the Boryspil Eparchy of the UOC over possible affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church. This was announced on the agency’s Facebook page.

To conduct the investigation, DESS formed a special working group under an order dated June 19, 2026. The legal entity under review is the “Administration of the Boryspil Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”

The agency said the investigation is being carried out in accordance with the Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” and the established procedure for identifying signs of affiliation with banned foreign religious organizations.

At the same time, the launch of the investigation does not in itself indicate that the Boryspil Eparchy has any ties to or subordination under a foreign religious organization. DESS intends to examine the relevant indicators and has pledged to make the findings public afterward.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church expressed support for the UOC ahead of a court hearing in a lawsuit filed by DESS.

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