Ukraine’s weaponisation of religion

Ukraine’s decision to ban its oldest Orthodox church in the name of "de-Russification" will hasten the country's descent into a totalitarian state

I’ve written for Compact about Ukraine’s decision to ban its oldest Orthodox church because of its historical ties to Russia, and how this will hasten the country’s descent into a totalitarian state, where virtually anything is justified in the name of “de-Russification”, while further exacerbating Ukraine’s civil conflict:

In the months that followed the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy’s government and local authorities started taking several actions against the [Ukrainian Orthodox Church], citing concerns over national security: banning church activities in several states; seizing church property and transferring them to the [rival, state-sponsored] Orthodox Church of Ukraine, including the 1,000-year-old Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, officially to investigate suspicions of the complex being used by Russia to store weapons (none were found); and opening criminal proceedings against more than 100 clergy, which has led to 26 arrests so far on charges of high treason and collaboration with Russia. 

Attacks on church parishes and parishioners also saw a steep increase, leading the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to issue a report expressing concern that “state activities targeting the [Ukrainian Orthodox Church] could be discriminatory” and that Ukrainian law enforcement had “failed to sufficiently investigate incidents (of conflicts between parishioners of different churches) and take action to protect members of the [Ukrainian Orthodox Church].” 

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian parliament began debating legislation to ban any religious organizations with affiliations to Russia—a move with one obvious big target.

Read the article here.

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Thomas Fazi

Website: thomasfazi.net

Twitter: @battleforeurope 

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