By Ihor Rosomakha
March 27th 2025
KYIV — Ukraine’s campaign against the Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC-MP) is not a violation of religious liberty—it is a wartime imperative. The UOC-MP, operating under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), is a Kremlin-aligned entity that has aided Russia’s invasion, spread propaganda, and harbored agents of the enemy.
This is not speculation. It is documented fact. As Russia wages its genocidal war, Ukraine is defending its people from an internal fifth column.
Evidence of Collaboration: Not Alleged—Proven
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has published damning evidence collected during raids on UOC-MP churches and monasteries. In a statement from December 2022, the SBU confirmed the discovery of:
- Russian passports, forged documents, and correspondence with Russian occupation officials.
- Pro-Kremlin literature, some glorifying the Russian military, and materials denying Ukrainian statehood.
- Anti-Ukrainian propaganda and Russian nationalist symbols being stored or distributed from religious sites.
In multiple cases, UOC-MP clergy have directly aided Russian forces. In 2022, a priest in Lysychansk was arrested for passing intelligence to Russian troops about Ukrainian defensive positions. In occupied areas, clergy have been accused of organizing pro-Russian events and justifying war crimes in sermons.
In the words of SBU head Vasyl Maliuk:
“We are not targeting religion—we are neutralizing threats to Ukraine’s security. The enemy is using the church as a tool of influence. Our response is lawful and necessary.” (Source: SBU press briefing, Dec. 1, 2022)
A Clear Precedent: U.S. Actions in WWII
Ukraine’s approach mirrors the decisive wartime actions taken by the United States during World War II. Faced with internal pro-Nazi movements, the U.S. dismantled groups like the German American Bund, arrested its leaders, and interned over 11,000 German-Americans under national security measures.
The Smith Act of 1940 criminalized supporting enemy regimes. Nazi-aligned newspapers were investigated and shut down. These were not violations of civil liberties—they were acts of self-preservation by a democracy at war.
Ukraine is doing the same. The stakes are no different.
Orthodox Christianity Remains Protected
Let us be clear: Orthodoxy is not under attack in Ukraine. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU)—recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2019—operates freely across the country. So do dozens of religious denominations, including Greek Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, Jews, and Roman Catholics.
The only religious body facing restrictions is one functioning as an arm of an enemy state. The UOC-MP remains canonically tied to the ROC, whose leader, Patriarch Kirill, has not only blessed the war but justified it as a “metaphysical struggle” against the West.
Religious freedom does not extend to treason. No democratic society grants impunity to enemy collaborators simply because they wear clerical robes.
Moscow’s Disinformation Strategy
Russia has responded with a full-spectrum disinformation campaign, falsely claiming Ukraine is “persecuting Christians.” State media outlets like RT and TASS regularly amplify these claims to stir dissent and manipulate Western perception.
But the tactic is familiar. During WWII, Nazi Germany accused the U.S. of oppressing ethnic Germans to justify its militarism and to fracture American society. Today, Putin’s regime uses the same blueprint—repackaged in Orthodox vestments.
Western analysts must recognize this for what it is: a coordinated information operation, not a legitimate concern about religious rights.
Ukraine’s Right—and Duty—to Defend Itself
Ukrainian authorities have been measured and transparent. Proposed legislation to ban religious organizations affiliated with foreign states hostile to Ukraine has been debated in parliament and is consistent with both international human rights law and Ukraine’s constitution.
As Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said:
“We are not banning religion—we are banning the manipulation of religion by a hostile power.”
So the comparison is clear: The UOC-MP is not a victim of religious intolerance. It is a Kremlin proxy operating under the cover of religion. The evidence is overwhelming. The threat is real. And Ukraine’s response is not just justified—it is vital for national survival.
This is not persecution.
This is not repression.
This is wartime defense—backed by law, precedent, and necessity.
