Russian invaders destroy or damage 630 religious buildings in Ukraine – expert

This was stated by Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelenskyi, during a press conference at Ukrinform.

“During this war, over 40 priests and pastors have been killed, and 630 religious buildings have been destroyed or damaged. There have also been cases of abduction of clergy, such as in Kherson region, where on February 14, Priest Stepan Podolchak of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was abducted,” Yelensky informed.

He noted that Russia is one of the countries where religious freedoms are most strictly limited, and what is happening in the occupied territories cannot be legally defined in any way.

According to the Head of the State Service, the Russian Orthodox Church actively persecutes religious organizations that do not fall under its jurisdiction.

“When Russia claims to protect the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, it must first and foremost protect it from Russia. During the war, 14 priests of this church have been killed, more than 100 churches have been destroyed, and nearly 200 have been damaged,” Yelenskyi said.

He reminded that in August, a law was passed to terminate the activities of religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church openly declared its participation in the war against Ukraine, and this law is aimed at protecting Ukrainian identity and statehood from the influence of this church.

As previously reported, on August 20, the Verkhovna Rada passed Law No. 8371, banning religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to the press service of the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine), since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, criminal cases have been olaunched against more than 100 clergy members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), almost 50 of whom have already been notified of suspicion, and 26 have received judicial verdicts.