Zelenskyy announces measures to reinforce Ukraine’s religious independence from Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that measures have been put in place to strengthen Ukraine’s religious independence.

Source: President Zelenskyy’s video address on 10 August

Quote from Zelensky: “I’ve just held a meeting, a preliminary meeting, regarding a decision that will reinforce Ukraine’s religious independence.

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We have to strip Moscow of every possibility to limit the freedom of Ukrainian people. In order to achieve this, we have to take measures that are 100% effective and to work, indeed. We will take those measures.”

Previously: On 24 July, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) Ruslan Stefanchuk said that the parliament would not break for recess as its members had to carry on with work, including working on a bill to terminate the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) in Ukraine.

Background:

• A source in the Sluha Narodu (Servant of the People) party, the majority party in the Ukrainian parliament, told Ukrainska Pravda that MPs agreed on 23 July that the next plenary session would be held on the week of 19-25 August. 
• Prior to that, some of the MPs blocked the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada at a meeting on 23 July, demanding to adopt a bill to terminate the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) in Ukraine. 
• In a commentary to Ukrainska Pravda, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk said that the MPs said that they would block the rostrum until the draft bill was put to a vote.
• On 19 October 2023, ​​the Verkhovna Rada voted in favour of a bill that would ban Russian-linked religious organisations in Ukraine in its first reading; the bill could see the UOC-MP banned in Ukraine.
• On 5 March 2024, the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy recommended that the parliament adopt this draft bill in the second reading.

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