Cabinet approves procedure for checking UOC communities' ties to ROC
The government has given the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) the green light to begin investigating UOC structures ahead of a possible ban.
On May 9, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the procedure for conducting investigations into religious organizations to determine their affiliation with foreign religious bodies whose activities are banned in Ukraine. Resolution No. 543 was signed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
According to the document, DESS is authorized to conduct investigations of religious organizations both on its own initiative and upon requests from government bodies, local authorities, civil associations, and other individuals.
The investigations aim to identify any of seven specific indicators of affiliation between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), as outlined in Part Two of Article 51 of the Law of Ukraine “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations.”
As part of the investigation, DESS may request information from state institutions, use data from public registries, involve religious studies experts, and conduct interviews with clergy – with the right to make audio and video recordings. The expert analysis may last up to 60 days.
Based on the findings, DESS will issue an official order stating either that signs of affiliation with the ROC have been found, or that no such signs are present.
This procedure effectively initiates the mechanism for investigating UOC religious organizations for potential ties to the ROC, whose activity may be banned in Ukraine under the Law “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organizations.”
The order in which organizations are investigated will be determined by DESS, taking into account the type of religious organization and its position within the hierarchical structure of the religious association. Notice of each investigation will be published on the official DESS website no later than one business day before it begins.
Earlier, the UOJ analyzed why rectors of UOC communities should avoid sending letters to Moscow.
