Putin Rips Zelensky For Banning Christianity In Ukraine

In August President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law a bill banning religious groups with ties to Russia Saturday, Ukraine’s Independence Day. The bill’s main target is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) which has historically been linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, also known as the Moscow Patriarchate.

Zelensky referenced the bill in his nightly address, saying “Ukrainian orthodoxy today is taking a step toward liberation from the devils of Moscow.”

The new law gives the UOC and other religious groups nine months to cut ties with Russia or risk being shut down by court order. The law passed Ukraine’s parliament on August 20, with 265 lawmakers voting for and 29 voting against.

While the UOC claims to have cut ties with the Russian Orthodox Church in 2022, Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience says the links are still intact and the church remains in Moscow’s orbit.

Ukraine’s Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has accused the UOC of spreading pro-Moscow propaganda. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the SBU has opened criminal proceedings against more than 100 clergymen of the UOC. Nearly 50 have already been charged and 26 have received sentences, according to the SBU.

Yesterday Putin Said:

“These are people without kin or memory, with no roots. They don’t cherish what we cherish and the majority of the Ukrainian people cherish as well.”

This is in response to Ukrainian Orthodox Church being outlawed by Zelensky earlier this year."