Zelensky approved the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to ban the UOC in Ukraine

Zelensky approved the decision of the National Security and Defense Council to ban the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and affiliated organizations on the territory of the country. He added that work will begin to combat “Russian special services” in the Ukrainian church.

The President of Ukraine supported the idea of ​​introducing personal economic and other sanctions against religious figures of the Russian Federation. According to a presidential decree, the Verkhovna Rada must receive a bill on the impossibility of the work of spiritual organizations associated with centers of influence from Russia. The SBU will be more active in detecting Russian saboteurs in a religious environment.

Zelensky enforced the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) to ban Russian churches (ROC) and organizations affiliated with them. This is stated in the decree of the head of state, which is published on the website of the office of the President of Ukraine. The National Security and Defense Council made a number of decisions about the ROC. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine must do the following:

• 2 months in advance to submit for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a draft law on the impossibility of activities in Ukraine of religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence in the Russian Federation;
• instruct the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience to convey this decision to the central executive authorities;
• resolve issues of functional subordination to the civil service for ethnopolitics of local administration units, whose powers include the implementation of the right to freedom of conscience and religion, as well as the activities of religious organizations;
• verify within 2 months the availability of legal grounds and compliance with the conditions for the use of property by religious organizations in the national Kiev-Pechersk historical and cultural reserve.

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics must conduct a religious examination of the statute on the administration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2 months for the presence of a church-canonical connection with the Moscow Patriarchate. The Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police and other law enforcement agencies should be more active in identifying and counteracting the subversive activities of the Russian special services in the religious environment of Ukraine. According to the presidential decree, the proposals made by the SBU on the introduction of personal economic and other sanctions against Russian religious figures should be supported.

Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine on December 2 carry out counterintelligence activities at the facilities of the UOC-MP in the Zhytomyr, Rivne and Transcarpathian regions, the press service of the department reported.

Officers visited the following sites:

• St. Nicholas Monastery of Khust diocese in Transcarpathia;
• St. Anastasius Stauropegial Convent in Zhytomyr;
• Skete of the St. Anastasius Stauropegial Convent (Zhytomyr region);
• Skete of the Iberian Icon of the Mother of God of the Chopovichi Athos Icon of the Mother of God of the Women’s Stauropegial Monastery (Zhytomyr region);
• Rivne-Ostroh diocese, Gorodok nunnery, St. George’s metochion, Church of all Volyn saints, Holy Resurrection church, Holy Dormition church (Rivne region).

The searches are carried out to prevent the use of religious communities as cells of the “Russian world” and to protect Ukrainians from provocations, the SBU explained. During searches in churches and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, no evidence of anti-state activity was found. A representative of the UOC stated this in a commentary to Klymenko Time:

“According to the information published on the official resources of law enforcement agencies, multiple checks in the premises belonging to the UOC did not reveal any weapons, or DRGs, or other evidence of anti-state activity on the part of the UOC. This once again confirms that our church carries out its activities exclusively in accordance with Ukrainian legislation. After the adoption of the updated charter of the UOC in May of this year, it was sent for registration to state bodies, where it was repeatedly studied by professional religious scholars. It is obvious that one more of his expertise will not lead to any sensation.

Separately, our interlocutor commented on the possible alienation of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra:

“It was through the efforts of the monks of the Lavra that its unique temples were revived after decades of desolation. The return of the temples to the monastery took place after 1988. During this time, the church made titanic efforts so that the Lavra ceased to be a huge ruin.”

Meanwhile, according to Ukrayinska Pravda, citing sources close to Zelensky, the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions against the governor of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Pavel (Lebed) and ex-People’s Deputy Vadim Novinsky. Also, according to the publication, about a dozen more clergymen of the UOC were also sanctioned. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church commented “Country” decision of the National Security and Defense Council on a religious topic:

“The UOC has always carried out its activities in accordance with Ukrainian legislation. Public reports of repeated inspections of her temples and monasteries confirm that they do not contain prerequisites for accusations related to state security. The updated charter of the UOC, adopted in May this year, has repeatedly been studied by professional religious scholars. It is obvious that one more of his expertise will not lead to any sensation. For an objective understanding of the situation with the premises of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, it is important to compare it with the state of this shrine after decades of desolation, when in 1988 it was returned to the Church. Then many of its majestic and world-famous temples were in ruins. And it was the UOC that raised them from the ashes“.

As in Ukraine comment situation:

“Oh! Great! I think that a little religious war inside the country is the most … relevant after Bulgakov and the terrorist Pushkin … and these … shortcomings of Soviet Education …

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine at a meeting on December 1 instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to propose to the Verkhovna Rada to ban the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine affiliated with centers of influence in Russia, primarily the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. I will be watching with great interest. Taking into account the fact that since the 91st (if memory serves) the UOC has been a subject of Ukraine … there has never been any “MP” in brackets, except in the imagination of Tomasz Fiala and his UP … it was a conditional figure of speech … well, after the comrades in the UOC began to cook their own myrrh, then it’s a shame to talk about the connection … For the OCU buys the same myrrh from the Turkish uncle from the Phanar)))

Well, something like this…

Well… with God, comrades! Let the storm come on! )))

It’s a direct sporting interest, how they gathered 73% to put 23% in the boat …))) and there is also Prytula with Nicknames …))) “.

In a new video message, Zelensky announced ambitious plans to defeat the largest religious denomination in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In the list of planned measures:

• the law on the prohibition of the work in Ukraine of “religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence in the Russian Federation” (it is impossible to simply call the “law on the prohibition of the activities of the UOC” because of the requirement to maintain the appearance of decency from Western patrons, but, in fact, this is the same );
• verification of the existence of legal grounds and compliance with the conditions for the use by religious organizations of property located on the territory of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Reserve also hundreds of smaller temples);
• “intensify measures to identify and counter the subversive activities of Russian special services in the religious environment of Ukraine” (translation into Russian: to storm and close priests and lay people associated with the UOC – then they can be exchanged for prisoners of war, why not?)
• Well, the icing on the cake: “raising the status and empowering” the civil service for ethnopolitics and freedom of conscience. In fact, they started the creation of the Ministry of Truth, purely according to Orwell. Well, what, thought crimes (articles for decommunization and justification of Russian aggression) exist, but there is no special body that will deal with them? Disorder.

“Such layouts did not please even the ardent supporters Zelensky, up to which, it seems, only now it began to reach, for which they decided to fit in. Yes, but it’s too late. If Zelensky felt strong enough to ban the UOC with its millions of believers, then he may no longer pay any attention to all other critics. And the point here, of course, is not in “centers of influence on the territory of Russia” and not in some kind of activity of priests or parishioners. The UOC, due to its influence, will always represent a center of power and authority in Ukraine, alternative to the vertical of power, and the existence of such a center is unthinkable for Zelensky’s supporters, who are not just dreaming, but quite realistically working to create a completely totalitarian state, where there are two opinions: either voiced by Zelensky, and criminally wrong,” lawyer T. Montyan comments.

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