DESS finds Balta Eparchy of UOC affiliated with ROC
DESS head Viktor Yelensky. Photo: media.interfax.com.ua
The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) said it had found signs of affiliation of the Administration of the Balta Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) with the ROC, reports the DESS website. The study was conducted from September 4 to October 19, 2026.
According to the agency, the Balta Eparchy Administration, as an integral part of the UOC, is affiliated with the Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC. The latter, in turn, is considered by DESS to be affiliated with the ROC, whose activity in Ukraine is banned.
In addition, DESS claims that it found signs in the statute of the Balta Eparchy that it is part of the structure of the UOC association represented by the Kyiv Metropolia. The service also noted that the ROC statute provides for the mandatory inclusion of the head of the Balta Eparchy Administration in the statutory governing bodies of the ROC.
The agency's website has published the order, the results of the study with appendices, and the directive to eliminate violations of the legislation on freedom of conscience and religious organizations.
As the UOJ reported, DESS launched a probe into the Balta Eparchy's alleged ties with Russia.
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