The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church made its first deliberate attempt since 1686 to regain its independency from Moscow Patriarchate in 1919. However, no bishops were willing to lead the church. Therefore, the church decided to establish own bishops as they did in Early Christianity (see Consecration in Eastern Christianity). This did not solve an issue of legitimate bishops and those consecrated were labeled as self-consecrated or of the Lypkivsky's consecration. Nonetheless, most of the bishops were eventually persecuted by the Soviet regime as nationalistic and the church was liquidated by 1937.
The second attempt was taken by clergy of Polish Orthodox Church in 1942 after withdrawal of the Soviet forces as result of the German-Soviet War. The bishops of the Polish Orthodox Church managed to consecrate bishops for the new church but were forced to emigrate after return of the Soviet regime. The emigrated bishops established the Ukrainian church in diaspora and North America which eventually in 1990s joined the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Just before dissolution of Soviet Union, in 1989 persecution of Ukrainian religious organizations has eased and Ukrainians started to revive own church. The revival was led by very few local bishops of Russian Orthodox Church and later supported by the Church from diaspora. The new effort was led by a bishop-emeritus of the Russian Orthodox Church Ioann (Bodnarchuk).
The church appeared originally as part of the Polish Orthodox Church. In 1948 UAOC lost its canonical communications with POC following emigration of its bishops from Ukraine after the World War II and with POC coming in closer ties with Russian Orthodox Church.
Upon its establishment the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church recognized bishops of Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church that was led by Metropolitan Vasyl (Lypkivsky). The creation of the church was approved by Dionizy (Waledyński), the primate of Polish Orthodox Church. On 9 April 1944 in WarsawDionizy (Waledyński) was proclaimed as Patriarch of all Ukraine, but not enthroned due to the Red Army military offensive onto Warsaw.
Earlier in 1919 along with Archbishop of Yekaterinoslav Agapit (Vyshnevsky), Dionizy (Waledyński) were supposed to lead newly established Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, but advancement of Russian armies of Anton Denikin prevented it.
Ihor (Huba) (1942 by Aleksandr (Inozemtsev) as vicar Bishop of Uman (1942), Bishop of Bila Tserkva (1942–1951), joined Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America (1951–1954), along with Bishop Palladiy (Vidybida-Rudenko) in UAOC in exile (1954–1961), returned to UAOC in diaspora as Archbishop-Paroch of St.Trinity (1961–1966), died)
Ihor (Huba) (1942 by Aleksandr (Inozemtsev) as vicar Bishop of Uman (1942), Bishop of Bila Tserkva (1942–1951), joined Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America (1951–1954), along with Bishop Palladiy (Vidybida-Rudenko) in UAOC in exile (1954–1961), returned to UAOC in diaspora as Archbishop-Paroch of St.Trinity (1961–1966), died)
Joined Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church – Assembly-Ruled
Hryhoriy (Ohiychuk) (1942 by Nykanor (Abramovych) as Bishop of Zhytomyr (1942), jailed by Nazi Germany (1942–1943), Bishop of Zhytomyr and Vinnytsia (1943–1947), joined Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church – Assembly-Ruled and excommunicated)
Bishops of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
The church revival in Ukraine has started on efforts of bishop of the Ukrainian Exarchate Ioan (Bodnarchuk) in 1989-90. In April of 1992 Ioan (Bodnarchuk) was banned from the church. In June of 1992 most of bishops joined the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) as part of the first unification attempt, while only Bishop of Chernivtsi Danyil did not rush with his decision. Patriarch Mstyslav excommunicated Metropolitan Antoniy and Archbishop Romaniuk who joined the unification with Metropolitan Filaret. In December of 1992 Bishop Danyil finally joined UOC-KP, while at the same time Archbishop of Lviv Petro decided to stay as part of the original Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC).
Andriy (Abramchuk) (returned from UOC-KP (1995) as Metropolitan of Ivano-Frankivsk and Galicia (1995–2018), joined Orthodox Church of Ukraine)
Roman (Balashchuk) (returned from UOC-KP (1995) as Archbishop/Metropolitan of Vinnytsia and Bratslav (1995–2018), joined Orthodox Church of Ukraine)
Macarius (Maletych) (1996 by Dymytriy (Yarema) as Bishop/Archbishop/Metropolitan of Lviv (1996–2018), Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine (2015–2018), joined Orthodox Church of Ukraine)
Tykhon (Petranyuk) (came from UOC-KP (2017) as Bishop of Odesa and Black Sea (2017), Archbishop of Ternopil (2017–2018), joined Orthodox Church of Ukraine)
Andriy (Abramchuk) (1990 by Ioan (Bodnarchuk) as Bishop/Archbishop of Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia (1990–1992), Metropolitan of Ivano-Frankivsk and Galicia (1992), joined UOC-KP)
Petro (Petrus) (returned from UOC-KP (1992) as Archbishop/Metropolitan of Lviv and Sokal (1992–1996), retired (1996–1997), joined UOC-KP)
Ioan (Modzalevsky) (1996 by Roman (Balashchuk) as Bishop/Archbishop of Moscow and Kolomna (1996–1999), vicar Archbishop of Kremenets (1999–2001), Archbishop of Kherson and Crimea (2001–2007), vicar Archbishop of Uman (2007–2013), joined UOC-KP)
Ioan (Boychuk) (1996 by Andriy (Abramchuk) as Bishop of Rivne and Ostroh (1996), Bishop of Zhytomyr and Ovruch (1996–1997), joined UOC-KP)
Feodosiy (Petsyna) (came from UOC-KP (2007) as Archbishop of Drohobych and Sambir (2007–2010), died)
Methodius (Kudriakov) (1995 by Volodymyr (Romaniuk) as Bishop of Khmelnytskyi and Kamianets-Podilskyi (UOC-KP, 1995), Archbishop/Metropolitan of Ternopil and Podolia (UAOC, 1997–2015), Primate of UAOC (2000–2015), Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine (2002–2015), died)
Ioan (Bodnarchuk) (1977 by Filaret (Denysenko) as Bishop of Zhytomyr and Ovruch (Ukrainian Exarchate, 1977–1989), Archbishop/Metropolitan of Lviv and Galicia (1989–1992), Metropolitan of Zhytomyr and Ovruch (1992), excommunicated)
Volodymyr (Romaniuk) (1990 by Ioan (Bodnarchuk) as Bishop of Uzhhorod and Vynohradiv (1990), Vicar Archbishop of Bila Tserkva (1990–1991), Vicar Archbishop of Vyshhorod (1991–1992), excommunicated)
Antoniy (Masendych) (1990 by Ioan (Bodnarchuk) as Bishop/Archbishop of Rivne and Zhytomyr (1990–1992), Metropolitan of Pereyaslav and Sicheslav (1992), excommunicated)
Sofroniy (Vlasov) (1992 by Antoniy (Masendych) as Bishop of Vinnytsia and Kirovohrad (1992), Bishop of Zhytomyr and Ovruch (1992), joined UOC-KP (?excommunicated))
Mykhail (Dutkevych) (returned (1993) as Bishop of Bila Tserkva and Uman (1993–2001), created Ukrainian Apostolate Orthodox Church)
Feoktist (Peresada) (1993 by Petro (Petrus) as Bishop/Archbishop of Lutsk and Volhynia (1993–1997), retired (1997–2001), joined Ukrainian Apostolate Orthodox Church)
Ihor (Isichenko) (1993 by Petro (Petrus) as Bishop/Archbishop of Kharkiv and Poltava (1993–2003), created separate organization within own eparchy)
Mstyslav (Huk) (2010 by Methodius (Kudriakov) as vicar Bishop of Ternopil and Chervonohrad (2010–2015), Archbishop of Ternopil (2015–2016), Archbishop of Khmelnytskyi and Kamianets-Podilskyi (2016–2017), banned)
