Moscow demolishes Ukrainian churches in occupied territories while using its own places of worship for propaganda

29 July 2024, 10:01

On July 21, Russian occupation forces demolished the last Ukrainian church in Crimea, the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Yevpatoria. Despite citing a decision from their occupational administration court, the reality is they acted simply because they could. The Ukrainian Church, which does not pledge allegiance to Putin, disrupts their “Russian world” narrative and is therefore deemed unworthy of existence.

Russian forces are not only demolishing Ukrainian Orthodox churches but also targeting other places of worship across Crimea and other occupied Ukrainian territories. Many of these sites have been closed or destroyed for a long time. Recently, two priests from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, serving in Berdyansk, were released from captivity through a prisoner exchange. They had been imprisoned under false charges and severely tortured simply for being both Ukrainian and Ukrainian Greek Catholic. The true number of clergy members held captive or killed by the aggressors because of their faith remains unknown.

Today, in Russia, only one religious organisation is officially sanctioned: the Russian Orthodox Church, founded by dictator Joseph Stalin in 1943. Since its inception, this church has been tightly integrated into the Soviet and later Russian intelligence services. The Kremlin uses it to control the population, spread propaganda, and operate as a network of agents, especially beyond Russian borders. Under the guise of Christianity, the Russian Orthodox Church serves as a powerful ideological tool for the regime. It supplies preachers who endorse the war in Ukraine and fosters a narrative of hate and violence. Its leader, Patriarch Kirill, instead of opposing Putin’s aggressive ambitions, actively promotes hostility towards Ukrainians, urging his followers towards violence, murder, and the destruction of their neighbours.

Yet, despite numerous instances of clergy collaboration, defections to the enemy, and countless criminal cases for aiding Russian occupation forces, a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine continues to spread the aggressive ideology of the so-called ‘Russian world’. This persists even though the National Security and Defense Council banned activities of religious organisations affiliated with the aggressor country in 2022, an initiative led by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Some politicians in Ukraine appear to overlook the importance of addressing Russian agents and saboteurs during wartime, which is vital for national security and survival. The ongoing influence of this church branch presents a challenge to Ukraine, affecting efforts to protect its sovereignty and unity.

On July 24, the Ukrainian Parliament revisited the proposal to add a bill to the agenda that seeks to ban the Moscow Church. Despite the opposition’s attempt to block the podium to voice their demands, their actions had limited impact. A conciliatory meeting resulted in an agreement to begin the next session with the examination of this bill. However, it remains uncertain when this will happen—likely not before August.

Representatives of the pro-presidential faction wanted to thoroughly review the draft document and propose their own amendments. For instance, they suggested extending the deadlines for changing jurisdiction and creating a special, independent commission to address related issues. The Moscow Church lobbyists will likely try to leverage this additional time to their advantage. Unfortunately, their influence on state institutions remains significant.

Author:
Roman Malko

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