Russian church fails to block ban on its work in Ukraine in court

The Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal has denied the application of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) for interim measures in the case of the termination of the church's activities in Ukraine.

This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine with reference to the decision made by the court on September 18.

The court ruling states that on September 16, a representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate filed an application for interim measures, in which he asked the court to secure the claim by prohibiting the State Ethnic Policy to send orders to eliminate violations to religious organizations that are part of or related to the structure of the Kyiv Metropolis, which is recognized as affiliated with a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine.

In support of this statement, the representative refers to the fact that failure to take measures to secure the claim may lead to the termination of 154 religious organizations that are part of or related to the structure of the UOC-MP after the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience sends orders to eliminate violations to religious organizations that have signs of affiliation with a religious organization that is recognized as affiliated with a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine.

On September 18, the court ruled to dismiss the claim for interim relief on September 18.

On August 24, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law banning the activities of religious organizations associated with Russia in Ukraine. On August 20, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the corresponding law. The day before, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) supported the parliamentary initiative to ban the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Кирило Бойко