UN reports violations of rights of believers and communities in Ukraine
A UN document points to pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, attempts to ban it through the courts, and cases of forcible church seizures.
In February 2026, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine published a report titled Four Years Since the Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine: Key Facts and Findings, which points to problems with freedom of religion in territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. This was stated in the Mission’s report.
The report notes that certain legislative changes affecting religious organizations may run counter to international standards. In particular, it states that “legislative changes and court decisions affecting freedom of religion or belief did not in some instances comply with international human rights standards.”
Special attention in the report is given to the situation surrounding the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to the document, following the adoption of the relevant legislative changes, the Ukrainian authorities “asserted that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church maintained a prohibited affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church and filed a lawsuit seeking its dissolution.”
The report also refers to incidents involving the use of force around churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to the human rights monitors, “groups of individuals used force to enter UOC churches, citing decisions by local authorities to register new OCU religious communities at the same addresses.”
In addition, the UN Mission reported court convictions of believers who refused military service on religious grounds. The document states that “Ukrainian courts convicted members of Christian denominations seeking to exercise their right to conscientious objection to military service,” even though “international law does not permit restrictions on this right.”
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Yelensky had complained that the UOC was inviting foreign lawyers to defend it.
