Victor Yelenskyy: the Kremlins opens one of its fronts in Ukraine – the Church front

To date, the Kremlin considers the “church front” one of the most important in the war against Ukraine.

Such a view was expressed by MP of Ukraine Victor Yelenskyy ("People's Front" faction), President of the Ukrainian Association of Religious Freedom, to the Ombudsman.

Commenting on the latest statement by the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, who demanded from the European entities the immediate reaction to the “persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” the MP said: “For them, this is a very important tool for discrediting Ukraine.” The so-called church front has long been among the major ones. Attempts to discredit the state, policies in the field of religion, church, the rights of believers have been made literally on a flat ground.”

“In Ukraine, it is impossible to find a person who would be oppressed because, for example, they speak Russian, and therefore it was decided to use what they call the Orthodox factor to the fullest scale. For this very reason, Moscow called to collect the minor facts of the alleged violation the rights of the Orthodox, even if it is a conflict at the domestic level,” continued Yelenskyy.

In this context, he recalled events in the village of Katerynivka in Ternopil region, “where the so-called pilgrims who arrived by bus beat the faithful of this parish.” “But the Kremlin still tells us that “schismatics have captured the temple, although it is clear that the ‘schismatics’ did not jump down with a parachute – they are locals who do not want to be part of the Moscow Patriarchate.”

At the same time, the MP emphasized: “If we take a look at the situation with the UOC (MP), it receives absolutely all the benefits received by religious organizations of Ukraine, it enjoys all the positive changes that have been made during the last three years. They received land from the ‘junta’ they curse, and they have been receiving it till now. Some priests are conferred government awards, they take part in protocol events, etc. That is, it is extremely complicated to find instances of oppression.”

On January 25, it became known that the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that “abetting the capture of the temples of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, violence against its clergy and believers is continuing,” and urged the European bodies to respond immediately to these “wrongful acts”.