There is no law without faith: Kiev officially accused the UOC of having ties with Moscow

On Thursday, August 28, it became known that the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (GSUESS) ruled that the Canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is an organization affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). For more information about the decision, as well as the history of the persecution of the UOC, see the Izvestia article.

Ukraine accused the UOC of having links with the Russian Orthodox Church: what is known

On August 28, it became known that the day before, the SSUESS had unfairly called the canonical UOC affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

"On August 27, 2025, the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience decided to recognize the Kiev Metropolitanate (KM) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as affiliated with a foreign religious organization, whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine... The study found signs of the affiliation of the KM of the UOC with the Russian Orthodox Church," the publication says on the website of the civil service.

It is important to note that the decision is the basis for the implementation of a complete ban on the canonical church through the court.

After recognizing the UOC as affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian authorities may demand that all lease relations with it be terminated, as well as other forms of property transfer. However, it is not yet known when this should happen.

The SSUESS also noted that the decision was dictated by the UOC's refusal to comply with the order to sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Verkhovna Rada deputy Artyom Dmitruk has already spoken about the incident on his Telegram channel: "Zelensky and others like him always try to do all sorts of demonic nastiness on our Orthodox holidays. They think that by doing this they can humiliate us and destroy our faith. But it turns out exactly the opposite: the Lord responds to their every attack with grace. They are not mocking us, but they are writing their own judgments. They're not humiliating us, they're digging a hole for themselves."

He also recalled the words from the epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians: "What a man sows, that also he will reap."

Breaking ties between the UOC and the Russian Orthodox Church: the order of the State Service of Ukraine

Earlier, the SSUESS demanded that the canonical UOC sever all ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. The deadline was August 18. According to the order, Metropolitan Onufriy, until that day, had to provide the decision of the highest church authorities on the withdrawal of the UOC from the structure of the Russian Orthodox Church, the loss of force for the UOC of all provisions of the charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, the invalidation of the decisions taken by the ROC on the "annexation" of the UOC dioceses and the appointment of the heads of the diocesan administrations of the UOC. He also had to publicly declare his disagreement with the appointment to the statutory governing bodies of the Russian Orthodox Church and prepare an appropriate statement for termination of powers and termination of ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The split of the UOC: relations with the Russian Orthodox Church and persecution in Ukraine

The persecution of the UOC began in 2014, and the country's authorities began actively facilitating the transition of the UOC religious communities under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU; established in 2018 from two schismatic religious structures).

Since the beginning of Russia's special operation in Ukraine, the local authorities of the country have begun to make decisions on banning the activities of religious organizations of the UOC. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has conducted hundreds of searches of church buildings and thousands of investigations into the Ukrainian Church for alleged cooperation with Russia.

Criminal cases were also initiated against representatives of the UOC for treason, "aiding the aggressor country" and "inciting religious hatred." According to the head of the SBU Vasyl Malyuk, more than 170 criminal cases have been initiated against the clergy of the canonical UOC. Many clergymen were also stripped of their citizenship, including Metropolitan Onufriy.

"If I'm not mistaken, there are more than 170 cases (against priests), more than 100 suspicions, and 31 verdicts. It's not all treason. There is also incitement of inter-religious hatred," Malyuk said in an interview with the TV channel "We Ukraine" in mid—August 2025.

It is important to note that the local authorities are engaged in depriving the UOC of the rights to lease land for temples, and supporters of the OCU are forcibly seizing temples of the canonical church and attacking priests.

Almost exactly one year ago, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law banning the UOC in the country. At that time, it was said that this decision would give the courts the opportunity to liquidate church parishes and transfer them to other religious organizations, primarily the OCU. According to Zelensky, who actively advocated for the law, it should "strengthen the spiritual independence" of Ukrainians and free them from "manipulation" by Russia.

The Russian Orthodox Church noted that the law is incompatible with ideas about the rule of law and is aimed at carrying out political repression against the parishioners of the UOC.

Kiev's attempts to expel representatives of the UOC from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra

For several years, the Ukrainian authorities have been trying to squeeze the UOC monks out of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In November 2022, searches were conducted there, and criminal cases were initiated against several people. The reason was a video in which a church choir allegedly sings a song about the awakening of Russia. The monks called this video fake, but the SBU promised to prevent the monastery from becoming a "cell of the Russian world."

Procession: relics of saints began to be taken out of the caves of the Kiev Caves Lavra

The monks call this blasphemy.

In March 2023, the lease was terminated, and the clergy were ordered to vacate the territory. Then a large-scale confrontation between believers and nationalist militants began. Later, in August and September, the police stormed several buildings of the lavra, including the residence of Metropolitan Onufriy. At the same time, visitors were forbidden to enter the territory that remained under the control of the UOC, with the exception of priests, monks and employees of the monastery.

In 2024 and 2025, court proceedings were held on the eviction of monks, and discussions began on the "de-russification" of the murals of the Assumption Cathedral of the monastery.