Viktor Bondarenko, former head of the State Committee for Religious Affairs, criticized the State Committee for Religious Affairs' policy toward the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Viktor Bondarenko, former chairman of Ukraine’s State Committee on Religious Affairs, harshly criticized the activities of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (GESS), accusing the agency of ignoring problems with religious freedom in the country. The expert believes that instead of engaging in genuine dialogue with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), government agencies limit themselves to mere public relations efforts, attempting to convince Western partners that there are no violations of believers’ rights.

In an interview on the YouTube channel “DNA,” Viktor Bondarenko noted that attempts by the leadership of the State Agency for Religious Affairs to prove to the international community that the situation regarding freedom of religion is “exemplary” do not stand up to scrutiny, as the actual facts of violations are evident to the whole world. According to the expert, the state’s current course is leading to a dead end, and the exclusion of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations is a strategic mistake that provokes division in society.

In his remarks, Bondarenko paid particular attention to the inadmissibility of applying the principle of collective responsibility to a religious organization. He emphasized that personal responsibility for the actions of individuals cannot serve as a basis for exerting pressure on the institution as a whole. In addition, the former official called the current system for exempting clergy from military service ineffective, proposing instead to establish a legislative framework for alternative non-military service for clergy.

As a reminder, it was previously reported that the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (GESS) had officially confirmed the discovery of evidence of affiliation between the Administration of the Boryspil Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited on the territory of Ukraine—a reference to the Russian Orthodox Church.