"They should have been banned at the beginning of the war": Mufti Ismagilov believes that the Ukrainian authorities "did not have time" to ban the UOCC

Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine “Umma” Said Ismagilov has sharply criticized the Ukrainian authorities for their, in his opinion, excessively “soft” and imitative policy towards the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He said that the UOC is a “direct agent of Russian influence” actively involved in hostile activities against Ukraine and suggested that its existence should be terminated by a strong-willed political decision. He said this in an interview with the Telegraf publication.

As Said Ismagilov notes, the actions of the state to “get rid of the influence of the Russian Church in Ukraine” are too “bland” and sometimes even look like imitation. The Mufti emphasized that the UOC is a “direct agent of influence” that acts not only on the consciousness of citizens, but also actively works on the front line and in the rear as a hostile element.

According to Ismagilov, there are “hundreds of cases” documented by Ukrainian special services when priests and officials of the UOC actually act as enemy agents. They carry out reconnaissance, correct enemy fire, surrender positions to the Ukrainian armed forces and assist subversive groups. The Mufti is convinced that the collected evidence is more than enough to “stop the existence of this hostile religious structure in our country by a political willful decision”.

Mufti connects the indecisiveness of the Ukrainian authorities with fears of international pressure. In his opinion, the Russian authorities are actively propagandizing, especially in the United States, the narrative that Ukraine is allegedly persecuting their church, which leads to pressure on Kiev. Said Ismagilov noted that the network of recruited agents working for Moscow in Western countries has been “very extensive” since Soviet times.

He also regretted the missed opportunity: “We missed our chance, when at the beginning of a full-scale invasion it could have been done in one moment and no one would have said anything to us.”

Regarding the UOC’s claims that it has no ties with the ROC and is actively helping the military, Ismagilov categorically refutes them. He points out that the evidence that they are part of the Russian Church is “very abundant.” This has always been spelled out in their charter documents, and the ROC itself openly considers the UOC its part. Mufti recalls that Patriarch Kirill considers the UOC part of the Russian Church, and earlier, before the war, the UOC itself emphasized this, including through appointments from Moscow and participation in the governing bodies of the ROC. “Well, I don’t know what proof is needed when even their priests and bishops are caught for anti-Ukrainian activities,” Ismagilov emphasized.

As for volunteering and helping the military, the mufti said: “Well, if you want to help the Ukrainian armed forces, then help then as part of the Ukrainian church. Local independent, which is not subordinate to Moscow. But do not be subordinate to the church of the enemy, which blesses, sanctifies the war”.

We will remind, earlier we reported that employees of the Security Service of Ukraine conducted “security measures” in the main mosque of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Ukraine “UMMA” in Kiev, which caused sharp criticism from religious figures. The incident took place directly during Friday prayers, when believers were gathering to perform namaz.