MP says UOC will receive no concessions in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine

The head of the parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, Mykyta Poturaiev, stated that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should not expect any concessions — neither during potential peace negotiations with Russia nor in any other format. He said this in a comment to Glavcom.

According to the MP, the State Service for Ethnopolitics is already conducting inspections regarding the UOC, and “the situation for this denomination is quite clear.” He drew attention to a recent statement by Metropolitan Onuphry, in which for the first time he mentioned praying for Ukrainian soldiers. However, Poturaiev questioned the sincerity of such changes.

“I have no full trust in the intentions of the Moscow Patriarchate. History shows that such statements are often merely declarative,” Poturaiev said.

He believes that despite the formal amendment of its charter in 2022, the UOC has not actually severed its canonical ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. Furthermore, Moscow’s silence in response to Metropolitan Onuphry’s recent “anti-Kirill” rhetoric, according to the MP, indicates that the ROC continues to exercise control over the UOC.

It is worth noting that MP Mykyta Poturaiev also stated that the Security Service of Ukraine will investigate members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who organize religious services in private homes.