Poturayev: Delaying the UOC law is a risk to national security

The Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, Mykyta Poturayev, emphasized that delaying the implementation of the law aimed at banning the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church poses a threat to the country’s security. He made this statement in an interview with Ukrinform.

Poturayev assured that the political force supporting Bill №8371 has no intention of backing down. According to him, the law contains a clear provision: from May 24, 2025, after the transition period ends, «religious organizations affiliated with the Moscow Patriarchate will lose their right to operate legally in Ukraine».

“This is not just a religious issue. We are talking about national security. When the President helped push this law through the session hall, he said directly: this is about spiritual sovereignty. And without spiritual independence, there can be no full state independence,” said the Member of Parliament.

At the same time, Poturayev pointed out that the Cabinet of Ministers has still not approved the necessary subordinate acts to launch the mechanism for implementing the law. According to him, the delay is related to legal objections from the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), particularly regarding property-related issues in the legislation.

It is worth recalling that co-author of the UOC ban law, Mykyta Poturayev, stated that the State Service of Ukraine on Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience could have long ago established the affiliation of communities of the canonical Church with the Russian Orthodox Church. The MP noted that the Service could already be filing lawsuits and stripping registration from communities refusing to comply with the provisions of Law №3894 and transition to the OCU.