In Ukraine, the UOC was obliged to finally sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church in a month.

On July 17, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience ordered the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to finally sever its remaining ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in one month — by August 18.

"An order has been issued to eliminate violations of the law on freedom of conscience and religious organizations. According to the legislation, the Kiev metropolis of the UOC is obliged to eliminate the identified violations by August 18, 2025," the document says, published on the department's website.

It is specified that Metropolitan Onufry of the canonical UOC needs to be provided by this deadline with a decision by the highest bodies of the Ukrainian church authorities to withdraw from the "invalid" structure of the Russian Orthodox Church, from the Holy Synod, which requires the withdrawal of all clergy of the UOC. In addition, the Ukrainian metropolitan must publicly declare the termination of ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

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On July 2, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced that Metropolitan Onufry of the Canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) had been stripped of his citizenship. According to the ministry, the metropolitan maintained contacts with the Russian Orthodox Church, including with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, on July 9, commenting on this decision, noted that Kiev, pursuing the goal of "decommunization," deprives its citizens of the right to religious freedom and religion.