Shmyhal instructs DESS to "accelerate deferments" for clergy

Denys Shmyhal during a meeting with UCCRO members. Photo: Official website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

On June 11, 2025, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal held a meeting with members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), during which the issue of military deferments for clergy was discussed, according to the official website of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

During the conversation, Shmyhal recalled that the government had opened the possibility for such deferments in December 2024 but noted that the process needs to be expedited. Accordingly, he instructed the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) to "accelerate the relevant procedures" for granting deferments.

This applies to those religious organizations that have been included in the DESS-approved list of critically important structures. According to Order No. H-82/11 dated June 6, 2025, such organizations are entitled to submit documents requesting deferments for their clergy.

However, as previously reported, the structures of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) were not included in the list of religious organizations whose clergy are eligible for deferment. DESS explained this decision by citing the Law No. 2662-VIII of December 20, 2018, commonly known as the “renaming law.” Out of 7,726 entries on the list, not a single one is connected to the UOC.

Earlier, the UOJ reported on the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ comments regarding the DESS document on clergy deferments.

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