Heorhiy Kovalenko: “The UOC has turned into a branch of Russian Orthodoxy and is sabotaging court decisions”

Former priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who joined the OCU, Heorhiy Kovalenko stated that after 2022 the UOC “has not been able to free itself from Moscow’s influence.” According to him, all declarations of independence from the Russian Orthodox Church are merely formal statements, while in practice the UOC continues to act “as part of the Russian Orthodox space.” He said this in an interview with NV Radio.

“In fact, it is a branch of Russian Orthodoxy. Historically and legally, the UOC is connected with the ROC, even though it claims independence. But in reality, it has not left Moscow’s influence,” Kovalenko asserted.

He emphasized that Ukrainian society expected the UOC to take a clear pro-Ukrainian stance after the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but, in his opinion, this did not happen. The OCU cleric added that instead of standing firmly on Ukraine’s side, the church leadership is allegedly trying to maneuver and preserve ties with the ROC: “Metropolitan Onufriy and the episcopate talk about autonomy, but those are only words. They are not taking concrete steps to show they have truly become an independent church.”

Kovalenko also mentioned the situation with the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, where, according to him, the UOC “deliberately ignores” state directives and court rulings: “They sabotage the implementation of decisions and in fact wait for Russia to come to Kyiv, hoping then to remain masters of the Lavra.”

In conclusion, he stressed that the future of the UOC depends on its ability “to honestly admit mistakes and distance itself from Moscow.”

“If this does not happen, it will remain a marginalized structure without the trust of Ukrainian society,” Kovalenko summed up.

He also claimed that UOC believers are increasingly attending OCU churches and confessing that they “still go to the Moscow Patriarchate.” At the same time, according to him, visiting UOC churches is acceptable if one “does not listen to the political messaging there.”