The UOC's break from Moscow's influence must be done in due process – President's Office

It is necessary to create appropriate conditions for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to sever ties with Moscow, but this must be done within the framework of the law.

Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the President's Office for Humanitarian Affairs, emphasized this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"The necessary conditions must be created for the UOC to break free from Moscow's control, but all of this must happen within the framework of the law. The law provides for a delay, which seems to be nine months, so there is still time to consider," Kovalska said.

She also reminded that in August 2024, Ukraine passed the Law on the Protection of Constitutional Order in the Field of Activities of Religious Organizations, which is intended to prevent the activities of churches that are governed from Russia.

To implement this law, several subordinate regulations need to be passed by the government. Religious organizations suspected of collaborating with the Russian Orthodox Church will be examined by an expert commission created by the State Service of Ukraine for Ethno-Politics and Freedom of Conscience. The law provides for a nine-month period for this process, after which it can be fully applied.

Earlier in August 2024, the Ukrainian parliament adopted the Law on the Protection of Constitutional Order in the Field of Activities of Religious Organizations (bill №8371), which bans the activities of religious organizations linked to the Russian Federation in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the document into law on August 24, 2024.