I don’t understand. They’re United in Orthodox, but not?
There were three (four, if you count UCC, off which they all splintered [forcefully by the USSR]).
There was the UOC-MP, created by the USSR secret police and ROC bishops at the “false synod” of ROC bishops and UC priests at gunpoint (the UCC bishops were all imprisoned). This parceled the churches and priests from the UCC to the UOC-MP. [to be clear, it was the Ukrainian Church, not the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and it was in communion with Rome, the whole church having entered communion with Rome, and
not breaking Communion with the EO {who would eventually cease renewing communion}] .
The UOC-EP came from the Authority of the EP.
Then, largely in reaction to the the rancor between those two, the UAC (?), Ukrainian Autonomous Church, arose in response. It generally had cordial relations with UOC-EP, and I believed shared clergy (including bishops!) at times.
UOC-EP and UAC were the ones that merged, and to which UOC-MP are defecting
en mass .
Frankly, I think that Rome will silently cheer if the UCC moves to fold itself with the new UOC. The single Ukrainian church could once again be the bridge between East and West, simultaneously entering communion with both . . .
AMDG
hawk