In two rulings of 22 September 2026, published by the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), a five-judge panel of the Supreme Court's Cassation Administrative Court opened appeal proceedings on the appeals of the organisation named above (A/990/21/26) and of the Kyiv Metropolia of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (A/990/22/26).
The appealed ruling, of the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal on 23 July 2026, sent the organisation's suit against DESS, filed on 22 July, to the Kyiv District Administrative Court. According to the Supreme Court, the organisation asked, among other things, for the suit to be heard together with case No. 855/11/25 — DESS's suit to terminate the Kyiv Metropolia — for the service to be ordered to withdraw its prescription of 17 July 2025 (No. P-1) and for its order of 27 August 2025 (No. N-127/11) to be cancelled.
In its ruling the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal explained that the suit was filed in breach of the rules on which level of court hears a case first: the cases it hears as a court of first instance include cases on the termination of a religious organisation, but not demands to withdraw a prescription and cancel an order. Both appellants ask to quash that ruling and send the suit to the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal.
Under the rulings, DESS has ten days from service to respond; the rulings took legal effect, cannot be appealed and name no hearing date.
The rulings give no registry code for the appellant organisation. According to open register data relayed by Opendatabot, two religious organisations have names containing the words "Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra"; the rulings do not say which it means.
Sources: DESS, notices of 23 and of 24 September 2026; court register: Supreme Court rulings of 22 September 2026 A/990/21/26 and A/990/22/26, ruling of the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal of 23 July 2026; Opendatabot (register data): entry 1, entry 2.
