From: Maia Mikhaluk in Kyiv (908th day) —A historic decision was made today, August 20, when Verkhovna Rada (our parliament) adopted in the second reading draft law No. 8371 on the ban of religious organizations connected with ruzzia in Ukraine. According to it, the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP) in Ukraine will be terminated.
No doubt, some politicians in other countries who might be working part-time for ruzzian propaganda willingly or in the role of useful idiots will start talking about religious persecutions and lack of freedom in Ukraine. Please, don’t listen to them. We have all the freedom to share the gospel, plant churches, conduct kids’ camps and various programs. Check out Facebook page of our ministry – International Partnerships. You can see how much we are doing and how openly we do it.
New law affects only the Orthodox Church of moscow Patriarchate which continues to be under the control of ruzzia even after 2,5 years of war. It’s not a faith-based institution, it’s a tool of manipulation and sabotage. It’s an organization that serves KGB and putin. It’s very telling that in territories occupied by ruzzian invaders only activities of Orthodox Churches of moscow Patriarchate are allowed to continue. All other churches get destroyed and priests/pastors killed.
Let me share a few facts. According to the official data of the Security Services of Ukraine, during the first two years of the full-scale war of the ruzzia against Ukraine, 70 criminal proceedings against representatives of the UOC MP were opened. Of these, at least 14 cases are related to metropolitans of this church.
Among the crimes exposed are 20 facts of treason, collaborationism, and aiding and abetting ruzzia as an aggressor country. At least 18 more proceedings relate to public agitation for religious hatred, as well as the sale of firearms and the distribution of child pornography.
According to the KMIS survey , the results of which were published in May 2024, 83% of Ukrainians were convinced that the state should intervene to one degree or another in the activities of the UOC MP.
During the two years of the great war of the ruzzia against Ukraine, the UOC MP lost a significant part of its dioceses in Ukraine, as dozens of them decided not to have anything to do with the pro-ruzzian church and to go to the local Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( OCU). As of the end of 2023, almost 900 religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine have made such a transition to the OCU.
According to sociological surveys, against the background of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the number of Ukrainians who consider themselves believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine has significantly decreased.
The number of such people decreased from 13% in 2021 to 6% in 2023. At the same time, the share of those who consider themselves loyal to the OCU increased from 24% in 2021 to 42% in 2023.
I will say it once again, what got shut down today is not a Christian church but a political organization with malicious goals to undermine independence of Ukraine using religion as manipulation tool.
Voice of Ukraine 