Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC-MP ordered to cut ties with Russia by August

The State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience has issued an order to the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). About it reports The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS).

The UOC was ordered to eliminate violations of the legislation on freedom of conscience and religious organizations. Also, DESS approved a list of organizations associated with the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC.

In order to fulfill the requirement of the service, Metropolitan Onufriy of the UOC-MP must provide a decision of the highest church authorities regarding:

← the UOC's withdrawal from the ROC structure;

← the invalidation of all provisions of the Statute of the ROC for the UOC;

← recall of clergymen, monks, and nuns of the UOC from the Holy Synod of the ROC, the Bishops' and Local Councils of the ROC, the Inter-Conciliar Presence of the ROC, synodal departments and other governing and ecclesiastical canonical bodies of the ROC, as well as canonical divisions of the ROC;

← invalidation of the decisions taken by the ROC on the annexation of the UOC dioceses and the appointment by the ROC of the heads of diocesan administrations of the UOC

Onufriy was also obliged to publicly declare orally or in writing his disagreement with his appointment to the statutory governing bodies of the ROC and to prepare a statement to terminate his powers and sever ties with the ROC.

The Church is obliged to eliminate all violations by August 18, 2025.

• on June 13, the SES, upon request LIGA.net reported that more than 2000 religious communities have joined the OCU since the beginning of the full-scale war.
• on July 2, it became known that, according to the SBU termination of Ukrainian citizenship Orest Berezovsky, Metropolitan Onufriy of the UOC-MP.
• on July 3, it was reported that the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate challenged the Cabinet of Ministers' resolution in court on checking for links with Russia. The document allegedly contradicts the Constitution, legislative norms and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.