DESS Seeks to Liquidate UOC Rovenky Eparchy in Court

KYIV, UKRAINE — The Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal has opened proceedings in a lawsuit filed by Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) seeking the termination of the Religious Organization “Administration of the Rovenkiv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.”

The court issued its decision on August 27, 2026, opening case No. 855/11/26. According to DESS, the agency is seeking to terminate the religious organization’s activities through judicial proceedings.

In addition to seeking the liquidation of the Rovenky Eparchy, DESS has asked the court to transfer the organization’s funds, property, and other assets into state ownership. The lawsuit is part of broader legal proceedings involving religious organizations affiliated with the UOC.

The court has scheduled a hearing in the case for September 30, 2026, at 2 p.m. at the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal on Kniaziv Ostrozkykh Street in Kyiv. The defendant has been given 15 days to prepare and submit a written response to the lawsuit.

The proceedings against the Rovenky Eparchy come as Ukrainian authorities continue pursuing court actions against religious organizations they seek to terminate under the country’s legislation concerning religious organizations. The September hearing will mark the next stage in the case against the eparchy.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a Ukrainian official condemned UOC pilgrims marching to Pochaiv.