Russian Foreign Minister: Russia will not abandon Orthodox believers in Ukraine

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, stated that Moscow will continue to defend the rights of Orthodox believers in Ukraine and support the canonical Orthodox Church. The Foreign Minister emphasized that Russia will not abandon the Orthodox people of Ukraine and expressed confidence that their legitimate rights will be restored. Lavrov made the corresponding statement during a reception on the occasion of Orthodox Easter.

“I want to assure everyone present that Russia will not abandon the Orthodox people of Ukraine and will ensure that their legal rights are respected and that canonical Orthodoxy regains its central place in the spiritual life of the people on Ukrainian lands,” said Lavrov.

According to the minister, he also listed crimes that, in his opinion, were committed by the “Kyiv junta” against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin, following talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, reaffirmed Russia’s intention to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. Although the UOC was not directly mentioned in Putin’s statements, he emphasized the need to eliminate the “root causes of the Ukrainian crisis,” which Moscow defines as “Kyiv’s anti-Russian course” and Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO.

It should be recalled that Alexander Drabinko, a hierarch of the OCU, expressed concern about the consequences of implementing Ukrainian Law No. 3894 on the protection of constitutional order in the sphere of religious organizations. According to him, the law could deepen the division in Ukrainian society.