DESS files lawsuit to dissolve UOC Synodal Department for Family Affairs

DESS files lawsuit seeking dissolution of UOC Synodal Department. Photo: DESS

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has filed a lawsuit with the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal seeking to dissolve the religious organization “Mission of the Synodal Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for Family Affairs” and transfer its property to state ownership.

According to a September 22, 2026 court order in case No. 855/12/26, officials are seeking the compulsory termination of the UOC legal entity, which is registered on Lavrska Street in Kyiv.

In addition to dissolving the organization, DESS is asking the court to seize all funds, real estate, and other assets owned by it, with the exception of property used for religious purposes, and transfer them to the state.

DESS cited Paragraph 5 of Part 1 of Article 16 of Ukraine’s Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” as the formal basis for the lawsuit. The provision allows a religious organization to be dissolved by court order if its authorized representatives are convicted of a criminal offense against the foundations of Ukraine’s national security.

A panel of judges chaired by Serhii Zlatin accepted the lawsuit and opened proceedings under the simplified administrative procedure. A hearing with the parties present is scheduled for October 9, 2026, at the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Metropolitan Anthony criticized a DESS order concerning the Boryspil Eparchy.

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