The Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate was created in June 1992 by Metropolitan Filaret (who had been removed from the direction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate) and his supporters from a part of the episcopate of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. This was encouraged by some of the civil authorities, members of parliament and various nationalist political parties. Since October 1995 Filaret has been the head of this Church, with the title Patriarch of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine.

The UOC-KP does not presently have official recognition from Orthodox Churches in other countries and so is considered "uncanonical."