At the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there were 8,782 religious communities linked to the Moscow Patriarchate. Over the four years of war, 934 of them changed their jurisdiction and joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Now, 7,826 church communities remain in Ukraine that maintain ties with the aggressor country. This information was reported by the publication 'Glavkom' citing 'Opendatabot'.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine also reported that a total of about 9,000 religious communities are part of their ranks.
Tendencies in transitions to the OCU
Most frequently, religious institutions from Khmelnytskyi (205), Kyiv (196), and Vinnytsia (105) regions transitioned to the Ukrainian church. The highest number of transitions was recorded in 2023 - 386 communities changed their jurisdiction. In 2024, there were 191, and in 2025 - 157.
The largest number of churches with Russian influence is located in Dnipropetrovsk (522), Vinnytsia (495), and Transcarpathia (487). It should be noted that only 18 out of nearly 8,000 religious institutions openly show their connections, and this number is decreasing. In 2021, there were more such communities, but three of them joined the OCU, and one closed its doors forever.
Status of religious communities with 'forced names'
According to the research, by the end of 2022, there were 67 religious organizations with 'forced names' that were registered by the Ministry of Justice in 2022. According to data in the Unified State Register, some of these communities changed their names or ceased operations, hiding their connections with the Russian patriarchate. Only three of these organizations actively transitioned to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Currently, in the Chernivtsi region, there are 39 communities with 'forced names' remaining.
Additionally, 22 religious communities that maintained ties with the Moscow Patriarchate ceased their activities or are in the process of reorganization.
Ukrainian religious communities are actively transitioning to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, changing their jurisdiction and demonstrating their support for Ukrainian Orthodoxy. Such trends indicate a gradual estrangement from the Moscow Patriarchate and the establishment of independence for the Ukrainian church.