Parliament bans activity of Russian church in Ukraine

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has adopted at second reading the bill "On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Field of Activities of Religious Organizations," which bans the activity of religious organizations affiliated with Russia in Ukraine.

Yaroslav Zheleznyiak, an MP from the Holos (Voice) party, announced this on the Telegram messaging app, Ukrinform reports.

He clarified that 265 lawmakers had voted for Bill No. 8371.

The bill is aimed at protecting national and public security, human rights and freedoms and determining the specifics of the activities of foreign religious organizations in Ukraine.

The document states that no provision of the law can be interpreted as limiting the freedom of religion or belief, the right to observe religious practices and ritual rites.

The bill bans the activity in Ukraine of foreign religious organizations located in a state that is recognized as having carried out or carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine and/or temporarily occupying part of Ukrainian territory, as well as directly or indirectly supporting armed aggression against Ukraine (including through public speeches of managers or other management bodies).

"Given that the Russian Orthodox Church is an ideological continuation of the regime of the aggressor state, an accomplice in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on behalf of the Russian Federation and the ideology of the 'Russian world,' the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine are prohibited," the bill reads.

The activity of religious organizations affiliated with a foreign religious organization, the activity of which is prohibited in Ukraine, must be terminated.

Relations, connections and communications of religious organizations, including religious communities and other legal entities, with foreign religious organizations, the activities of which are prohibited in Ukraine, are not allowed.

According to the bill, a religious organization operating in Ukraine cannot have a management center in Russia.

A commission will also be created, which should be independent of the executive power and which will conduct research into the existence of connections and affiliation with Moscow or research into the spread of the ideology of the "Russian world."

The conclusions of a religious examination, information from other central executive authorities, data from public electronic registers, as well as information received from individuals and/or legal entities, from the media and other open sources could be used during the review.

In the future, the results of the examination will be studied by the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience that will issue an order in case of any violations.

A religious organization is given two months, taking into account the administrative appeal procedure, to comply with the requirements of the order and severe ties with Russia.

If the organization's ties with the aggressor state have not been severed within 60 days, the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience will apply to the court.

The Ukrainian government in January 2023 registered in the Verkhovna Rada Bill No. 8371 on the activity of religious organizations in Ukraine, according to which the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate could be terminated.

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the bill at first reading on October 19, 2023.

MPs on July 23 blocked the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada due to the parliament's refusal to consider the bill banning the Moscow-linked church.

The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations announced on August 17 that it supported the legislative initiative to ban the activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.