Over 500 Ukraine’s churches leave Moscow-linked Patriarchate

Nearly 600 religious institutions of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate have transitioned to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to data from the Opendatabot system. 

“589 Ukrainian religious communities have switched from the patriarchy of the aggressor country to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. The highest number of religious institutions changed their patriarchate [is] in Kyiv Oblast (138), Khmelnytskyi Oblast (125), and Vinnytsia Oblast (67),” analysts reported.

The system utilized data from the Unified State Register as well as the Registry of Churches of the Moscow Patriarchate. 

Currently, 8193 churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate continue to operate in Ukraine. “99% or 8119 of them, despite legal requirements, have not yet indicated their affiliation with the patriarchate of the aggressor country in their names,” writes Opendatabot.

The highest number of Moscow Patriarchate churches is in Donetsk Oblast – 683. A significant number also remains in Vinnytsia Oblast (534), in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (527), and Khmelnytskyi Oblast (506).

Earlier, the National Resistance Center reported that continuing the forcible russification of Ukrainians in temporarily occupied territories, Russia is suppressing religious communities by replacing Ukrainian priests with Russian ones.