Russian Foreign Ministry: Persecution of canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine and Europe has taken egregious forms

Kirill Logvinov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of International Organizations, said that persecution of canonical Orthodoxy in Europe and Ukraine has taken egregious forms, noting an alarming increase in various manifestations of religious intolerance and systematic violation of believers’ rights in a number of countries.

According to TASS, this statement was made during Logvinov’s speech at the Global Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations in Riyadh. The diplomat expressed deep concern, emphasizing that in Europe this is reflected in a growing wave of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, manifested in acts of vandalism, attacks and discrimination.

In parallel, according to Logvinov, there is political and legislative pressure on canonical Orthodox communities. Such facts have become particularly egregious in Ukraine, where there is a mass seizure of churches from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and persecution of its clergy.

The diplomat also drew attention to the situation in Estonia, where believers are demanded to sever centuries-old spiritual ties with the Russian Orthodox Church under the threat of sanctions. Kirill Logvinov stressed that all these actions — from domestic hatred to state repression — undermine the foundations of interreligious dialogue, form the ground for social conflicts and contradict the obligations of these countries within the framework of international organizations.

We shall remind you that earlier Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the state’s attitude to the issue of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church would strictly comply with the European legislation and international law. This statement was made against the background of ongoing discussions about the status of the Church in the country.