“It will be an active process": Yelensky announced the beginning of the procedure for banning the UOC in May

The head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky, announced measures to implement anti-church law No. 3894, which is aimed at banning the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The official said that the work will begin in May, and, according to Yelensky, it will be the Russian Orthodox Church that will be banned. He said this in a commentary to Ukrinform.

«This will be an active process that will finally start in May. Until now, preparations have been underway: experts have been developing a regulatory framework, instructions, and explanations. Now it is time for action. This law bans only the Russian Orthodox Church, which, as stated in this law (and this is a direct quote from the Resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe), “is a continuation of the criminal regime of the Russian Federation, an accomplice to its crimes against humanity.” Therefore, the Russian Orthodox Church, “which aims to destroy Ukrainian statehood, culture, identity and Ukrainians as such, is prohibited,” — Viktor Yelenskyy said.

At the same time, the head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience claims that the ban on religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will be carried out in court. Before that, experts of the state service will establish for each parish of the UOC the presence of signs of affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church.

«The research group that will be created at the State Service will simply check for all seven signs. If one fact of affiliation is identified, then the religious organization will be sent an order. If the religious organization complies with the order, there will be no claims against it. If it does not, the State Department of State Statistics has the right to go to court, which will decide the fate of the organization. In May, it will be nine months since the law came into force. The court, and only the court, as it should be in a democratic state, will then determine whether to terminate this religious organization. This is, in fact, the entire mechanism,» — the official added.

Earlier, Ukrainian political scientist Konstantin Bondarenko expressed the opinion that the Ukrainian government took a pause in the case of the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to the political scientist, the authorities are changing their view on this issue in connection with the coming to power of a new administration in the United States, which is closely monitoring developments regarding the UOC.