Nearly 8,000 Russian churches continue to operate in Ukraine

8,782 churches of the Moscow Patriarchate were operating in Ukraine at the start of the full-scale invasion. Over nearly four years of war, 934 religious communities have officially transferred to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). As a result, 7,826 churches with ties to the aggressor state remain. At the same time, the OCU reports that it currently has around 9,000 religious communities under its jurisdiction.

We are tracking these changes on the page dedicated to churches of the Russian Patriarchate. There, you can view a list of religious communities in your region, their metropolitan affiliation, and find a church that aligns with your religious and civic beliefs.

Most transitions to the Ukrainian church occurred in Khmelnytskyi (205), Kyiv (196), and Vinnytsia (105) regions. The peak year for transitions was 2023, when 386 communities changed jurisdiction. In 2024, there were 191 such transitions, and in 2025 — 157.

The largest concentration of churches with ties to Russia is found in Dnipropetrovsk region (522), Vinnytsia region (495), and Zakarpattia region (487). It is worth noting that currently only 18 religious institutions out of nearly 8,000 openly declare their ties. Last year, there were more such communities; however, three of them joined the OCU, and one, according to registry data, ceased operations.

By the end of 2022, 67 religious organizations with so-called “forced names” were recorded in Ukraine. These names were assigned by the Ministry of Justice in accordance with the law adopted in 2022. The Unified State Register indicated that these religious organizations had not specified their affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate. Over time, some of these communities ceased operations or changed their names, concealing their ties to Russia. At the same time, only three of these organizations officially joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Currently, 39 communities with forced names remain, all of them concentrated in the Chernivtsi region.

Additionally, 22 religious communities that had concealed or failed to declare ties to the Moscow Patriarchate have ceased operations or are in the process of voluntary liquidation.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) notes that the duration of a religious community’s transition depends on how well organized the community is and how long the legal procedures take. There are no fixed time frames: some communities complete the process within a month, while others need six months or more.

“The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is growing gradually and dynamically. Although the process of communities joining happens in waves, it has never stopped since the Tomos was granted. Since the start of the full-scale war, the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has significantly lost its positions in Ukraine. More than 5,000 religious communities have left its control. During this time, about 2,000 communities have voluntarily joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Communities that remain in temporarily occupied territories are now effectively under the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, which also means a loss of real influence of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP — editor’s note),”

— comments Archpriest Mykhailo Omelian, representative of the OCU press service.

It is worth noting that transferring a church from one metropolitanate to another takes a long time, so the data in the Unified State Register (USR) may differ from information available “on the ground” and from that of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

We should also note that on September 23, 2024, the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Activities of Religious Organizations” came into force. This law bans the activity in Ukraine of religious organizations that belong to or show signs of affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate. The legislation clearly defines the criteria for establishing such affiliation and sets out the procedure for identifying it. A special commission has been granted the right to apply to court to terminate the activities of organizations for which such ties are proven.

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) has already launched the first legal procedures under the new law. Court proceedings have been initiated to terminate the activities of the Kyiv Metropolia of the UOC and to transfer its property and assets. The case is currently under court consideration. In addition, an official order has been issued regarding the Korets Women’s Monastery in Rivne region, which shows signs of affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate. However, both cases are still far from being resolved.

As of the publication of this text, Opendatabot has sent an inquiry with the available data—namely, a list of institutions and organizations that have direct or indirect ties to the UOC (MP) and the ROC (Russian Orthodox Church)—to DESS and the Ministry of Justice. However, no response has been received so far.