Ukraine Files Lawsuit to Ban Largest Orthodox Church Over Russian Ties

Ukraine's State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience has filed a lawsuit to dissolve the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), citing its ties to the Russian Orthodox Church despite the UOC-MP's declaration of independence following Russia's full-scale invasion. The lawsuit, based on a 2023 law allowing the banning of religious organizations linked to aggressor states, seeks to end the church's centralized status but allows individual parishes to decide their affiliation independently. Ukrainian authorities, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, have taken actions against the UOC-MP, such as revoking the citizenship of its leader, Metropolitan Onufrii, accusing him of concealing Russian citizenship. The Ukrainian government favors the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is independent of Moscow and recognized by Constantinople. Critics, including Russian officials and some international observers, warn that the ban threatens religious freedoms and accuse Ukraine of suppressing dissent under the guise of national security. The UOC-MP has contested the lawsuit and filed counterclaims, while Ukrainian officials stress the legal basis for the ban is to protect constitutional order amid concerns about foreign influence.