Kiev, September 24, 2025
Photo: investigator.org.ua
The Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal has denied the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s request for an injunction in the case concerning the termination of its activities.
The court is reviewing a lawsuit filed by the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience against the UOC’s Kiev Metropolis seeking the religious organization’s dissolution.
On September 16, a UOC representative requested the court prohibit the State Service from sending violation notices to religious organizations connected to the Kiev Metropolis, which the Service recognized as affiliated with the banned Russian Orthodox Church based on its examination of Russian Church documents.
The court denied the injunction request on September 18, reports Interfax Ukraine.
In August 2024, Ukraine’s Parliament adopted a law prohibiting religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. The State Service for Ethnopolitics subsequently investigated the UOC and on August 27, officially recognized the UOC as affiliated with the Russian Church, meaning it will lose access to state and municipal property after 60 days.
The State Service filed a lawsuit on August 29 seeking to terminate the UOC’s activities and transfer its property to the state. The hearing is scheduled for September 30. The UOC countered by asking the court to overturn the affiliation decision.
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