Head of the State Ethnopolitics Service Refuted Claims of Persecution Against the UOC in Interview with Vassa Larina

During an interview with former ROCOR nun Vassa Larina, Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Ethnopolitics Service, stated that draft law No. 8371, “aimed at countering the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, is not an act of persecution against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).” The interview was published on Larina’s YouTube channel.

“Most of those who criticize this law simply have not read it. The law does not prohibit the activity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church — it prohibits the activity of the Russian Orthodox Church as the ideological continuation of Putin’s regime,” Yelensky emphasized.

He stressed that the law does not require the UOC to change its liturgical calendar or language, but only to sever ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, which, according to him, openly supports the war: “Patriarch Kirill not only blessed this war, he also blessed weapons of mass destruction… He openly says: our goal is to destroy Ukrainian statehood, Ukrainian culture, and Ukrainian identity.”

Responding to allegations of violent church takeovers, Yelensky assured: “In 2024, there were no more than six such incidents. And not once were they initiated by the state. The law does not sanction any violence — the final word belongs only to the court.”

When asked by Vassa Larina why there is still division and church tension in society, Yelensky replied: “Division is a part of life. The risen Lord appears to His disciples with His wounds. And today we see a living, though divided, church body in Ukraine. And this, despite everything, is a testimony of life.”

Recall that former ROCOR nun Vassa Larina announced her transition to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) following an official break with the Russian Orthodox Church. In a public statement, she confirmed that she remains a nun in the rassophore status and continues her ministry now under the jurisdiction of the OCU.