Russian Foreign Ministry: Under the pretext of protecting national interests, Ukrainian authorities are waging an open war against the Church

The Russian Foreign Ministry published a “Statement by the Special Representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for International Cooperation in the Field of Ensuring the Right to Freedom of Religion, M. M. Melekh, on the Situation in the Religious Sphere in Ukraine.” The text mentions the repressive measures taken by the Ukrainian government against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as the manipulation of the relics of the Kiev-Pechersk saints, which are considered an insult to the feelings of believers. The statement is published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“In furtherance of the Law ”On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organizations» adopted in 2024, aimed at eliminating the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), on August 27, 2025, the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience of Ukraine (DESS) decided to recognize the Kyiv Metropolis (the administrative center of the Church) as “affiliated with a foreign religious organization – the Russian Orthodox Church, whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine.” This decision, which does not stand up to any criticism from a legal point of view, was preceded by non-public bureaucratic work to establish the signs of this affiliation, which, in turn, formally opened up access for Ukrainian state bodies to formalize the ban on the administrative body of the UOC in court. Under the pretext of caring for the national interests of the country, the Ukrainian authorities have been waging an open war against the Church for many years, using methods of physical and psychological violence against believers and clergy, as well as raider seizures of churches belonging to UOC communities on the basis of forged documents,» — the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry added that a significant amount of anti-church actions by the Ukrainian authorities are aimed, in particular, at expropriating property: churches and shrines of the UOC.

«On August 29, on Radio NV, one of the executors of the project to liquidate the UOC, the so-called expert Y. Chornomorets, revealed in detail what awaits the largest denomination in the country after the decision of the Ukrainian Themis, whose impartiality even in the West is questionable. This means finally resolving the issue of property belonging to the Church. We are talking about more than 3,000 real estate objects, many of which are of historical significance and are architectural monuments. After the liquidation of the main structure of the UOC, the state plans to unilaterally terminate all previously concluded lease agreements with the Church and seize the property. The expert believes that it will be more difficult to seize real estate built with the funds of religious communities, as well as privately owned real estate, but there are options. Thus, for the benefit of Ukraine’s corrupt elite, the country’s Constitution has once again been trampled on, along with the system of regulatory and legal control. In this context, the exceptional interest of the Kyiv authorities in the holy relics of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the carefully guarded process of their “inventory” becomes understandable. It is possible that Ukrainian citizens are unwitting witnesses to the pre-sale preparation of sacred objects for their subsequent transfer as exhibits to European museums or even private collections. Given the West’s well-known attitude towards its colonies, it is difficult to be surprised by such blasphemy. For example, a large part of the British Museum’s collection consists of artifacts belonging to the peoples of the world. It is pointless to even raise the moral and ethical side of the issue,» — the statement said.

Earlier, US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said that a ceasefire agreement in the war between Russia and Ukraine could include the protection of the rights of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Whitaker noted that US President Donald Trump is making considerable efforts to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and now is the best time to do so.