Russian Foreign Ministry: Kiev Pursues Total Liquidation of Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a report stating that Kiev is preparing for the total defeat and liquidation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), accompanied by the confiscation of its property. According to TASS, the leading role in fomenting the church crisis in Ukraine belongs to Washington.

"The pinnacle of arbitrariness was the adoption on August 20, 2024, by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of Law No. 3894 'On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Activities of Religious Organizations,' which creates a legal mechanism for a complete ban on the UOC in Ukraine. The canonical church, whose parishioners number in millions, is planned to be liquidated with confiscation of property if the authorities conclude that it is affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. Given the lawlessness in Ukraine, it can be assumed that the Kiev regime will seek the slightest pretexts and corresponding 'evidence' for the final destruction of the UOC," the document says.

As noted the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Kiev authorities have for many years actively pursued a course aimed at the elimination of the UOC, discrimination against its clergy, persecution of priests and believers, and coercion of the flock to transition to the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). "To this end, the country's legislative system is being constructed, and the actions of various government and security structures are being oriented," the report states.

The diplomatic department drew attention to the active participation and leading role of Washington in stirring up the church crisis in Ukraine.

"For the U.S., this is a convenient opportunity to advance its own interests, which in this case consist of weakening Russia's influence in the region. The United States, along with the Constantinople Patriarchate, bears the primary responsibility for the Orthodox schism in Ukraine," the report emphasizes.

"Other unfriendly countries took a stance of non-intervention and tacitly agreed with the arbitrariness regarding the UOC. It was precisely with the covert backstage support of the U.S. and their pressure that Fanar actively contributed to the creation of the schismatic OCU in December 2018," the materials state.

The report includes eight sections. The full text can be found on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.