Ban on UOC being rushed through to coincide with end of war

Lobbyists for the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have intensified their activities in connection with the possible end of the Russian-Ukrainian war. This opinion was expressed by a source in the Office of the President of Ukraine to the publication Strana.ua. According to the source, there are various political groups operating under Volodymyr Zelensky, including both supporters and opponents of the ban on the UOC. Both sides understand that during the negotiations, the issue of banning the UOC is likely to be considered, which could lead to the repeal of the controversial anti-church law No. 3894. This is stated in a publication on the Strana.ua website.

“There are negative signals from Washington regarding the ban on the UOC. In addition, many in Zelensky’s circle are against such a move. The president himself is far from church affairs and has changed his position on this issue several times during his reign. Therefore, lobbyists for the ban on the UOC fear that in the process of bargaining and negotiations, they may at least put the process of banning the UOC on hold, or even repeal the relevant law altogether. Therefore, they will try to present everyone with a fait accompli – the Church has already been banned by a court decision, and the main churches have been seized. But it is unclear whether this plan will succeed. As recent years have shown, the UOC and its believers can resist pressure. And court decisions are not made in a day. Therefore, the process will not be easy,” – the source said.

We will remind you that recently, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that ending the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is one of the conditions for the start of a peaceful settlement between Russia and Ukraine. Zakharova noted that this issue, along with others, should become the “basis for security guarantees.”