“The SSU played a key role in banning the UOC,” - political scientist

Political analyst and former MP Oleksandr Chernenko said that the Security Service of Ukraine played a key role in the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Chernenko is convinced that it was the work of the SSU to “expose collaborators” that became the basis for the adoption of Law No. 8371 by the Ukrainian parliament. He wrote about this in his column on the Censor.Net website.

“After Malyuk became the head of the SSU, for the first time since independence, the Service began to systematically expose these Kremlin henchmen. Let me remind you that before the vote in the first reading, Malyuk addressed MPs with a letter in which he directly stated that the UOC-MP is a structural unit of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” – the political analyst wrote.

Chernenko added that the work of the SSU influenced public opinion and, as a result, pushed MPs to adopt Bill 8371, aimed at banning the UOC.

“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, criminal proceedings have been opened against more than 100 representatives of the UOC-MP based on SSU materials, almost 50 of them have already been notified of suspicion, and 25 have received court sentences. At the same time, the SSU’s evidence has influenced public opinion: opinion polls have shown that the vast majority of people are in favor of banning the UOC-MP. This, in turn, I am sure, forced the deputies to make the appropriate decision,” – the expert emphasized.

Earlier we reported that the Security Service of Ukraine provided updated data on criminal prosecutions of clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The agency told how many criminal cases have been opened, as well as how many of them have been brought to court sentences.