DESS demands Zaporizhzhia Eparchy sever ties with UOC Kyiv Metropolia

DESS Chairman Viktor Yelensky. Photo: znaj.ua

The administration of the Zaporizhzhia Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has received an order from the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) requiring it to leave the structure of the UOC Kyiv Metropolia. The eparchy’s press service reported this on its Telegram channel.

According to the order, the eparchy’s highest governing body – the Eparchial Assembly – must adopt a decision for the eparchial administration to withdraw from the structure of the UOC Kyiv Metropolia and provide confirmation that such a decision has been made. In addition, the head of the religious organization is instructed, orally or in writing, to declare disagreement with his appointment to the statutory governing bodies of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), prepare a statement terminating his powers and severing ties, and provide confirmation of the decision.

According to the published document, from August 12 to 21, 2026, DESS conducted a review for signs of affiliation between the administration of the UOC Zaporizhzhia Eparchy (EDRPOU 20512570) and a foreign religious organization whose activities are banned in Ukraine. The eparchy was given 30 days from receipt of the order to remedy all the violations listed. Its administration must then report compliance to DESS, providing supporting evidence signed by an authorized representative.

The document was signed by DESS head Viktor Yelensky, while the findings of the review were published on the agency’s official website.

As the UOJ reported, DESS had previously said it found signs of affiliation between the Zaporizhzhia Eparchy and the ROC. The review of the eparchial administration began on August 12, 2026, and was part of a series of similar DESS “reviews” involving UOC structures, including the Kyiv Metropolia, Pochaiv Lavra, and the Boryspil Eparchy.

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