On 15 June 2026, representatives of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met with Ms. Noel Calhoun, Deputy Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, and members of the Mission’s staff.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the religious situation in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, examined evidence of systematic violations of freedom of religion and belief, and agreed to maintain further contacts and cooperation.

The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has been operating since March 2014. It monitors the human rights situation in the country and prepares public reports on human rights developments, including in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.

It should be recalled that at the end of April 2025, an UCCRO delegation met with Ms. Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and Head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. During that meeting, the delegation informed her about the state of freedom of religion and belief in Ukraine and about religious persecution in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, including the unlawful detention of clergy, killings of representatives of religious communities, the closure of churches and houses of worship, and other violations.