Ukraine Passes Law Targeting Orthodox Church Amid Fears Of Kremlin Influence

Ukraine's Parliament has passed a law banning the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and its affiliated religious organisations within the country.

The move is meant to counter Russian influence. The target of this new law is said to be the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), different from the recent breakaway faction, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). A majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians.

The legislation, titled "Law on Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on the Activities of Religious Organisations in Ukraine (No 8371)", is seen as a crucial step in protecting Ukrainian citizens from what the Ukrainian government describes as "terrorist hostile propaganda".

The law was approved with 265 in favour, 29 against, and four abstaining.

On 17 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social platform X about his meeting with representatives of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations.

"I am grateful for the support of the legislative initiative aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s spiritual independence," Zelenskyy said.

“The historic vote! ...today we have come on an irreversible path of cleansing from within from the Kremlin agent network, which for decades has hidden behind the mask of a religious organization,” Ukrainian MP Roman Lozynskyi said in a Facebook post.

The Ukrainian government has long accused the UOC of acting as a tool for Russian influence and propaganda, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict between the two nations.

The UOC had declared full autonomy from the Moscow Patriarchate soon after the Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022, but Kyiv has remained suspicious.

With the new law, any religious organisation linked to the Russian Orthodox Church will be prohibited from operating in Ukraine, and their activities will be terminated through legal channels.

The legislation also introduces a ban on promoting the "Russian world" ideology — a concept often associated with Russian nationalism and expansionism — through religious organisations.

The Ukrainian government views this ideology as a threat to national security, and the new law aims to prevent its spread within the country.

Robert Amsterdam, an international lawyer representing the UOC, has said this development marks "a dark new chapter for human rights in Ukraine".

According to Amsterdam, who leads the #SaveTheUOC campaign, the draft law 8371 "amounts to one of the most severe restrictions of religious freedom of the modern era".

"This is an unlawful act that is the grossest violation of the basic principles of freedom of conscience and human rights," Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida wrote on Telegram.