Ukrainian lawmakers on August 20 approved a bill banning religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church, which Kyiv has criticized for being supportive of Moscow's full-scale invasion.
Lawmaker Oleksandr Honcharenko said 265 members in parliament (Verkhovna Rada) approved the bill that once signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will pave the way to banning the branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC),which is associated with the Moscow Patriarchate.
The legislation bans the activities of religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence "in a state that carries out armed aggression against Ukraine." It says a court of law would be empowered to terminate such activities.
Zelenskiy thanked lawmakers and called the legislation "the law on our spiritual independence."
"This is what we have been talking about with members of the Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. And in the coming days I will talk about it with representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. We will continue to strengthen our Ukraine, our society," Zelenskiy said in a video statement.
The bill has been a hot issue for lawmakers. In July, senior legislators refused to put it to a vote, after which, deputies representing several parties blocked the podium armed with a banner reading "The Moscow church kills."
SEE ALSO: Internal Rifts And U.S. Politics In Play As Ukraine Considers Banning Long Russian-Linked ChurchZelenskiy's Servant of the People party split over the fate of the legislation targeting the UOC, whose controversial role in Ukraine has drawn further scrutiny since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukrainian lawmakers gave their initial approval to the bill in October 2023.
The UOC is a branch of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church that previously was under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox patriarch in Moscow. It officially cut ties with Moscow last year over Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, but officials linked to the church have been accused of maintaining links with Russia.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said in October that 68 criminal cases, including accusations of treason, had been initiated against UOC representatives since Russia's invasion.
The UOC has insisted the legislation would not comply with the Ukrainian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, accusing Kyiv of trying to portray its Ukrainian clergymen and believers as "agents of the Russian Federation."
On August 20, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, who is an adviser to the Russian Orthodox Church's leader, Patriarch Kirill, condemned the Ukrainian lawmakers' approval of the bill, saying it violates the religious rights of the Ukrainian people.
"The law adopted by the [Verkhovna] Rada violates internationally recognized norms related to the protection of religious freedom and provides the possibility of a further wider deployment of anti-church persecution by the Kyiv regime," Balashov said.
The Russian Orthodox Church has staunchly backed President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s invasion.