Ukrainian authorities have ordered the leadership of the Pochaiv Lavra, one of the largest monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, to remedy violations of the country’s legislation on freedom of conscience and religious organizations within 30 days. The requirement means that the monastery must sever its ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, whose activities are banned in Ukraine.
The publication Komentarii reported the development.
The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience issued the order after completing an official investigation.
The agency stated that the inspection found evidence indicating the Pochaiv Lavra’s affiliation with a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine, namely the Russian Orthodox Church. Under Ukrainian law, the religious organization must remedy the identified violations within 30 days of receiving the order.
The investigation concluded that the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra is a structural subdivision of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and belongs to the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Under Ukrainian law, the Kyiv Metropolis has been recognized as affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.
The agency also noted that the monastery’s governing documents confirm its membership in the structure of the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. At the same time, the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church provides that the head of the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra is a member of the Russian Orthodox Church’s governing bodies.
On 24 August 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law prohibiting the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. The law established a mechanism for verifying such affiliations and provided for their mandatory termination within the time limits set by law.
As LF previously reported, about 60 percent of Ukrainians consider it acceptable to terminate the activities of certain religious organizations. More than 80 percent of those respondents supported banning the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. These findings were published in the results of a survey conducted by the Razumkov Centre’s Sociological Service with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Representation in Ukraine in November 2025.
