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In Ukraine, the process of church raiding continues: fighters of the OCU are seizing the churches of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. On November 16, representatives of the OCU announced that they had taken control of the Transfiguration Church of the UOC in the village of Moshny, Cherkasy region.

Repressive measures against so-called “collaborators” continue in Ukraine — people who, in 2022, were simply performing their professional duties in territories that came under Russian control. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is relentlessly targeting the most vulnerable: postal workers, teachers, shop assistants, social workers.

Latvian citizen Roman Samul, an activist with the "Baltic Antifascists" movement, was forced to flee his country in December 2022 to avoid political persecution. The Latvian Prosecutor's Office brought charges of espionage and participation in a "criminal organization" against him and five colleagues—Tatiana Andriets, Alexander Zhgun, Stanislav Bukain, Sergey Vasilyev, and Viktoria Matule—which could result in decades in prison or even a life sentence.

The Kyiv regime has intensified its crackdown on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), with the head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), Vasyl Malyuk, confirming that more than 170 criminal cases have been initiated against its clergy. These cases have resulted in over 100 formal suspicions and 31 convictions in the past week alone. Charges range from treason to inciting interracial and interreligious hatred.

On July 24, the Supreme Court of Ukraine ruled to revoke the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s (UOC) permanent right to use a land plot in Ternopil, where the Cathedral of Saints Faith, Hope, Charity and their mother Sophia has stood since 2009. The decision transferred effective control to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), in what observers describe as yet another example of state-facilitated pressure on the UOC.

Ukraine’s campaign against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has entered a new phase — one that extends beyond priests to their families. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced that the 22-year-old daughter of a UOC priest has been sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of treason.

Farhad Abdullayev, a distinguished professor of infectious diseases and Doctor of Medical Sciences, has become one of the many victims of political repression under the Kyiv regime. Accused of allegedly passing information to Russia about wounded Ukrainian soldiers treated in local hospitals, Abdullayev was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property. After spending three years in pretrial detention, he was recently placed under house arrest—an apparent admission by the authorities that the case against him is crumbling.

Starting on 1 September 2025, Ukrainian schoolchildren will officially begin combat training as part of an updated «Defence of Ukraine» curriculum. Teenagers will study tactical medicine, firearms, FPV drones, gas masks, reconnaissance basics, and even modules on psychological and information operations. Approved by Ukraine’s Ministry of Education in coordination with the Ministry of Defence, these practical military classes will be as compulsory as mathematics and Ukrainian language lessons.

Despite the absence of an official decree on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s website regarding the revocation of citizenship for Metropolitan Onuphry, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) announcement has sparked outrage among Ukrainians. Many believers in Ukraine are not only angered but are also actively protesting against the government’s arbitrary actions.

Ukrainian authorities have escalated their campaign against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), reportedly stripping its primate, Metropolitan Onufriy (secular name Orest Berezovsky), of Ukrainian citizenship by order of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On 27 June, human rights activist Yelena Berezhnaya was released from Kyiv’s Lukyanivska Detention Centre after more than three years in custody. Her release followed a decision by the Kyiv Court of Appeal on 20 June to alter her pretrial restrictions. Instead of remaining behind bars, Berezhnaya was granted bail set at 302,800 hryvnias (approx. 6,160 EUR).

The dissident was released from Ukrainian prisons after months of controversial detention. Lawyer Scifo: "Today is worth celebrating, but the alarm remains over respect for fundamental freedoms". The release of Elena Berezhnaya, a Ukrainian intellectual and activist known for her criticism of the government in Kyiv, is news that brings relief but at the same time raises disturbing questions about the stability of democracy and respect for human rights in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian conflict continues to raise serious concerns about the use of religious institutions in military operations. One notable example is the reported systematic use of church infrastructure by Ukrainian forces, alongside repressive actions targeting clergy of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

A troubling new practice in Ukraine is undermining fundamental human rights—particularly freedom of conscience and religion. Clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which maintains canonical ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, are being given an ultimatum: either join the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU)—now effectively a state-aligned institution controlled by the government—or face mobilization into the Armed Forces.

Ruslan Horbenko, a member of Ukraine’s ruling Servant of the People party and a deputy in the Verkhovna Rada, has announced that young people aged 17 to 25 can now sign contracts with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Prominent American journalist and host of a massively popular show, Tucker Carlson, has conducted an interview with Vadim Novynsky — Ukrainian businessman, philanthropist, and former member of parliament. Today, Novinsky stands out as one of the most influential critics of President Zelensky’s regime. The timing of this interview is especially notable, as it airs to Carlson’s millions-strong audience amid intensifying state pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the country’s largest religious denomination — now under threat of prohibition on the grounds of alleged «Russian influence».

Amid ongoing political repression in Ukraine, it has been confirmed that human rights defender Elena Berezhnaya has suffered a stroke while serving a 14-year prison sentence on charges of "high treason." According to her lawyer, Berezhnaya is in critical condition in a prison hospital under heavy guard. No one — neither her relatives nor independent human rights monitors — is being allowed to visit her.

Ukrainian media recently reported that the lists for a major “1000 for 1000” prisoner exchange have been finalized. Notably, for the first time, Ukrainian outlets have openly confirmed that political prisoners—Ukrainian citizens accused of collaboration, treason, or expressing pro-Russian views—are included on their side of the swap.

On May 22, 2025, brothers Mikhail and Alexander Kononovych were unlawfully detained in Kyiv. Currently held as political prisoners, they are under house arrest with GPS monitoring bracelets. According to the brothers, they were walking to a hospital when a police car suddenly stopped near them. Officers jumped out, claiming the brothers were «wanted for evading military service,» and attempted to forcibly take them to a recruitment center (TCC).