The lawmaker lamented that believers in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are not susceptible to propaganda

Ukrainian MP Mykola Knyazhitsky stated that, despite sociological data, parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church retain significant influence “thanks to a rigid hierarchical system of relations within the communities. “ According to him, such a structure can facilitate the spread of external narratives and reduce parishioners’ resistance to informational influence. As reported by Espreso, Knyazhitsky, a member of parliament from the “European Solidarity” faction and co-chair of the parliamentary group on interparliamentary relations with Poland, spoke about this on the program “Algorithms of Lies” on Espreso and Slawa.TV.

According to the politician, official sociological indicators do not fully reflect the scale of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s network and influence in the country. He asserts that individual communities can function as part of a broader system of informational and social influence.

Knyazhitsky cited the example of a conversation with a priest who had joined a parish previously affiliated with the Russian Church. According to him, the parishioners supported the transition, but their behavior differed from the traditional model of Ukrainian church communities: while in Ukrainian parishes believers can ask questions, discuss, and debate, in communities of the Russian church tradition the priest is perceived as an unquestioned authority.

“In fact, they are structured like sects,” Knyazhitsky stated, describing such communities as charismatic groups that follow a leader and carry out his instructions without critical reflection. He emphasized that it is precisely this system of relationships that influences the perception of information within these communities.

The deputy also stated that, in his opinion, some of the active believers of the UOC who participate in religious processions in Ukrainian cities remain detached from Ukrainian society. Knyazhitsky claims that these people follow the instructions of the clergy, among whom, he says, there may be individuals “linked to Russian intelligence agencies.”

As a reminder,according to the results of a recent poll by the Rating Group, more than half of Ukrainian citizens allegedly support banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In addition, a significant majority of respondents approve of imposing personal sanctions against the Primate of the UOC, Metropolitan Onufriy.