The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organizations” (dated August 20, 2024, No. 8371), which prohibits the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) as a foreign organization that supports aggression against Ukraine.
The decision was made in view of the fact that the ROC has effectively become the ideological support of the aggressor state and an accomplice in war crimes against the Ukrainian people.
Under the new law, religious organizations affiliated with the ROC are required to sever all ties with Moscow. A clear procedure is provided for: the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) investigates possible links between such organizations and the ROC, and if they are confirmed, issues an order to sever relations. If a religious organization refuses to comply with the order, the final decision will be made by a court.
At the same time, the law does not prohibit the activities of any Ukrainian church, including the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), if it breaks its subordination to the ROC. It clearly states that the relevant provision does not apply if persons who are members of the governing bodies of the ROC publicly declare their withdrawal from its governing bodies and sever ties with that church.
Ukraine does not require changes in faith, worship, or language, but only the cessation of structural dependence on the religious center in the aggressor country.
This decision is in line with the practices of Western democracies, where restrictions also apply to organizations that pose a threat to national security.
The authorities emphasize that the law is aimed exclusively at protecting the constitutional order, without infringing on freedom of conscience or religion. This approach has been supported by the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, as well as by the majority of Ukrainians, according to sociological surveys.