The ROC stated that peace in Ukraine is impossible without ending the persecution of the UOC

The Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for Church Relations with Society and the Media, Vakhtang Kipshidze, stated that the path to peace in Ukraine is impossible without ending the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was reported by RIA Novosti.

Speaking at an interfaith round table in Tokyo, Kipshidze emphasized that the UOC possesses significant peacebuilding potential, which, as he noted, “by God’s mercy, will be in demand.”

Kipshidze also drew attention to the absence of UOC representatives at the meeting. According to him, the Ukrainian authorities restrict the participation of the canonical Church in international forums, depriving it of the right to defend itself. At the same time, representatives of the OCU were present at the event — a structure that the ROC considers non-canonical.

“We continue to regard this structure as non-canonical and see it as one of the causes of the repressions against UOC believers. We will speak about this openly and firmly,” Kipshidze stated.

Earlier it was reported that on July 3, 2025, Epiphany Dumenko received the Secretary General of the Community of Democracies, Mantas Adomėnas, at his residence. During the meeting, the head of the OCU once again tried to convince representatives of international organizations that religious persecution allegedly does not exist in Ukraine.