Zelensky highlights churches taken from the canonical Church in favour of the OCU during his address on the Day of the Baptism of Rus'

During his ceremonial address on the Day of the Baptism of Rus’ and Statehood Day — celebrated this year according to the “new calendar” — President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke from the historic Volodymyrska Hill. His speech was accompanied by a video montage showing prominent churches that, in recent years, have been taken from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and handed over to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), often with the involvement of state authorities and security forces.

Zelensky described the holiday as a “bridge through time,” which, in his words, “connects all stages of our state-building and many generations.” He stated: “Ukrainians were here, Ukrainians are here, Ukrainians will be here. And on this land, life always prevails, values triumph, and so does our character.”

The accompanying footage included such religious sites as St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Church of the Saviour at Berestove, the Vydubychi Monastery, the Church of St. Michael in Oster, and the Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernihiv — all of which have come under the control of the OCU in recent years.

The video concluded with an image of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, where a mosaic of St. Volodymyr (Prince Vladimir) is placed above one of the altars.

Against this backdrop, it is worth recalling the recent statement by Metropolitan Luke of Zaporizhzhia and Melitopol (UOC), who believes that the ultimate goal of the legislative campaign against the UOC is its total eradication. He also claims that the remnants of the UOC and OCU will eventually be merged into the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), making Ukraine a testing ground for a model of union between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Vatican.