Faith of restraint: Kiev may launch criminal prosecution for links with the UOC
The Ukrainian authorities are increasing pressure on the UOC. Kiev may introduce criminal prosecution for cooperation with the canonical Church, Verkhovna Rada deputy Artyom Dmitruk told Izvestia. However, before that, the country plans to ban the church itself, and a court hearing on this issue will be held on September 30. After that, supporters of the canonical church can be criminalized even for services at home, says ex-MP Vladimir Oleinik. At the same time, the West does not respond to Kiev's actions.
Pressure on the UOC
The authorities in Ukraine may introduce criminal prosecution for cooperation with the UOC, Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmytruk told Izvestia.
— Yes, it is quite real. <...> We are witnessing how fake criminal cases are being initiated against priests, and how believers are being persecuted for their position. The regime's planned move is an attempt to criminalize the very fact of belonging to a church, participating in divine services, and helping churches. This is their goal: to intimidate people, to make them afraid to come to God," he said.
The authorities will most likely introduce criminal prosecution after the canonical church is officially banned in Ukraine, former Verkhovna Rada deputy Volodymyr Oleynik told Izvestia. On September 30, a court hearing will be held in Kiev on the claim to terminate the activities of the UOC.
— After the ban of the UOC, parishioners will be able to hold services in other places. When the authorities see that these phenomena are gaining mass character, they may well start to persecute for it. For example, if services are held in homes or other places that do not belong to the UOC. On the one hand, the authorities will adopt an appropriate law, and on the other, special people will appear who will disperse believers and crack down on them without trial," the former parliamentarian believes.
On May 20, the Ukrainian authorities began checking the Kiev Metropolia of the UOC for links with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). It is held in accordance with the law signed in August 2024 by Vladimir Zelensky, which prohibits the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and its affiliated organizations in the country. According to the document, the communities were given nine months to sever ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. Moreover, back in May 2022, the UOC declared its independence and condemned the fighting in Ukraine.
Nevertheless, at the end of August, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (GSUESS) issued an official decision that the UOC is an organization affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. And this is considered the basis for a complete ban on the church through the courts. They also added that the canonical Church refused to eliminate the violations, which, according to representatives of the SSUESS, indicate its connection with the Russian Orthodox Church. The violations in question are not publicly disclosed.
As a result, the canonical Church will lose the right to use state and communal property 60 days after the application of the SSUESS, that is, by the end of October. We are talking about more than 3 thousand real estate objects, many of which have historical significance and are considered architectural monuments. It should be recalled that at least 5-6 million residents of the UOC remain parishioners in the country.
The persecution of the UOC began in 2014.
In 2018, the artificially created Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) appeared in the country. In January 2019, the Patriarchate of Constantinople granted autocephaly to the OCU.
After that, the Ukrainian authorities actively promote the transition of the religious communities of the UOC to the jurisdiction of the OCU.
Seizure of churches in Ukraine
The persecution of the UOC is accompanied by regular seizures of churches. In 2016, bills on freedom of conscience and the status of religious organizations were submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, which de facto allowed restricting or prohibiting the activities of the UOC, as well as transferring its churches to another jurisdiction.
Since 2014, over 1.3 thousand churches have been taken away from the canonical church, said Ivan Melnikov, vice-president of the Russian division of the International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights.
Moreover, after the start of the SVO in 2022, the number of seizures of shrines increased many times. The authorities regularly deprive the UOC of the right to lease land for churches, and supporters of the schismatic OCU seize them by force. For example, on September 13, another canonical church was seized in the Zhytomyr region.
On August 7, the Chernihiv Regional State Administration reported that since 2019, about 40 parishes of the UOC have been re-registered in the OCU in the region.
The Ukrainian authorities generally want to attract as many believers as possible to the ranks of the OCU.
— The authorities impose such an opinion on the supporters of the UOC, they say, what difference does it make to you which church to come to or which priest will conduct the service. But the churches of the OCU are now half—empty, in Ukraine they even say that the OCU stands for "empty churches of Ukraine," says Vladimir Oleinik.
Protest action at the Embassy of Ukraine in support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) due to the events around the Kiev Pechersk Lavra
One of the most high-profile cases of seizure was the situation around the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. The Ukrainian authorities have been trying for several years to squeeze the UOC monks out of it. In March 2023, the Ministry of Culture terminated the lease and ordered the clergy to vacate the territory of the shrine. Throughout 2024 and in the first half of 2025, court proceedings were held regarding the eviction of monks.
It is noteworthy that the authorities are currently conducting propaganda and entertainment events on the territory of the occupied part of the Lavra, such as filming a cooking show and archery performances.
In addition, priests of the canonical Church throughout Ukraine are accused of high treason and other crimes. For example, in July, Vladimir Zelensky stripped the Ukrainian citizenship of the primate of the UOC, Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and All Ukraine. In addition, priests of the canonical church are more likely to be mobilized, and the TCK forcibly takes them to the front. At the same time, there is no information about the mass mobilization of representatives of the OCU.
The head of the Canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine (right), during the festive service on the occasion of the Nativity of Christ at the Kiev Caves Lavra.
After the court session on September 30, it is obvious that the pressure will only increase and new persecutions against the church should be expected, says Artem Dmitruk.
— The court decision, whatever it may be, will become an additional instrument of pressure on the church. All the decisions that are being taken now to ban the UOC are terror. After September 30, we can expect a new wave of persecution, pressure on priests and parishioners, but also an increase in resistance in society," the politician noted.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Ukrainian leadership continues to purposefully destroy the spiritual and cultural foundations of its state.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation will continue to carefully record the illegal (and in civilized countries criminally punishable) acts of all those involved in the anti-church process in Ukraine. We will persistently seek their just condemnation, as well as consideration by foreign partners and international organizations when building relations with the Kiev regime and its patrons," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on September 4, 2025.
Patriarch Bartholomew of the Greek Orthodox Church of Constantinople
It is curious that Western countries do not react to what is happening in Ukraine. On September 14, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople arrived in the United States, who actually legitimized the split between the newly-established OCU and the UOC in Ukraine. According to media reports, he will meet with US President Donald Trump, address Congress and hold a number of other meetings. It is unknown whether the issue of the split of the Ukrainian Church will be on the agenda. Meanwhile, on September 15, it became known that seven UN special Rapporteurs on human rights had sent an official letter to the Ukrainian government accusing it of systematic violations of religious freedoms against the UOC.
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