The State Service of Ukraine on Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has revised the list of religious organizations in Ukraine that are affiliated with foreign religious groups whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine.
According to the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), previously, the list included the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Korets Holy Trinity Women's Stavropegial Monastery of the Moscow Patriarchate. Recently, the Holy Intercession Holosiivsky Hermitage Monastery, also part of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate, has been added.
The DESS stated, "The aforementioned religious organizations have been recognized as affiliated with a foreign religious structure, the activities of which are prohibited in Ukraine, leading to legal consequences as defined by law."
On May 9, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a procedure for studying the extent of a religious organization's affiliation with foreign entities whose activities are banned in Ukraine. Additionally, this procedure includes a method for assessing whether a religious organization is being used to propagate the ideology of the "Russian world."
In July 2025, the DESS announced that it had identified signs of affiliation between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine. The DESS also published a list of religious organizations that are part of or affiliated with the UOC-MP.
On August 27, 2025, the DESS officially recognized the UOC-MP as an affiliated institution of the ROC.