The court sided with the UOC in Chernihiv, but the crackdown on Orthodox monasteries continues: Yeletsky Monastery is only a temporary exception

The commercial court of Chernihiv region has rejected a lawsuit filed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, which sought to evict the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) from one of the country’s oldest monasteries — the Yeletsky Assumption Monastery in Chernihiv.

This decision marks a rare legal victory for the Church amid an ongoing pressure campaign that many observers view as systematic and politically motivated.

The court declined to satisfy the claim brought by the national architectural and historical reserve “Ancient Chernihiv,” which acted on behalf of the Ministry of Culture. The lawsuit demanded the “return of property and elimination of obstacles to its use through eviction.” In other words, the monks of the Chernihiv diocese of the UOC are allowed to remain in their monastery — for now.

This ruling stands out as an exception to the broader trend. In February, Ukraine’s Supreme Court ruled to strip the UOC of its rights to use the Yeletsky Monastery and ordered that control be handed over to the state-run heritage reserve. However, the appeals chamber of the Supreme Court later intervened and sent the case back for reconsideration. Despite this, the authorities have continued efforts to remove the Church from monastic buildings and churches — many of which are historic architectural landmarks.

According to Church leaders and human rights organizations, the Ukrainian government’s actions against the UOC are not just legal disputes over property rights but part of a broader policy aimed at displacing the Church from its historical territories under the pretexts of “national security” or “cultural heritage.”

“This is not just a struggle over a building. It’s a struggle for the very right to practice faith in its traditional, canonical form — the form our ancestors followed on this land for centuries,” representatives of the diocese stated.

Meanwhile, despite the court’s decision, the situation remains tense. The UOC continues to face pressure in the public sphere and from officials — including media campaigns, refusals to renew lease agreements for church buildings, administrative barriers, and legislative efforts to ban its activities. In this context, the court’s refusal to evict the monks is seen more as a temporary pause than a sign of a policy shift.