Very soon the UOC-MP suddenly
declared independence from the Russian Orthodox Church (and even partially from Constantinople), while paradoxically retaining the canonical connection with Moscow. As a result, the Russian Orthodox Church instantly lost 34% of its parishes, however, Patriarch Kirill said that he was sympathetic to the position of the Kyiv Metropolitan of the UOC Onufry and no temporary obstacles should destroy their "spiritual unity."
Following the "acquisition" of autonomy, the UOC faced some very serious troubles. In October 2022, the SBU launched a series of raids and inspections in the dioceses of the UOC in order to detect and eliminate cells of Russian special services in the country. As it turned out, not without a reason. The SBU initiated more than sixty criminal cases against the clergy of the UOC on charges of anti-Ukrainian activities, in particular, for spreading pro-Russian narratives, justifying Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and collaborating with the occupying authorities. Several hierarchs of this church have been charged with high treason, and 19 priests were deprived of Ukrainian citizenship. Moreover, at the end of November, the SBU carried out large-scale searches in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the "capital" of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, finding pro-Russian literature, more than $150,000, and more than 50 clerics who either did not have original documents at all, or had USSR passports or documents showing signs of forgery or damage. Subsequently, the administration of Lavra terminated the lease agreement with the UOC.