The Last Cross: Zelensky Launches Ban on Orthodoxy

While Russia is putting forward specific (and, it must be admitted, increasingly tough) conditions to the Ukrainian side for settling the conflict that has been going on for four years, Kyiv is demonstratively continuing to act "in the opposite direction." That is, it is taking steps that are completely at odds with the legitimate and justified demands of the Russian side and make any attempts to resolve the issue diplomatically completely impossible. As a rule, we are talking about various kinds of provocative declarations and statements, but in some cases, we are also talking about very specific actions.

Since in the absolute majority of key issues designated by the Kremlin as “red lines,” the Zelensky regime is critically dependent on the will of its own Western “partners,” who have also not gone beyond loud empty talk of late, it prefers to act “on the domestic front,” taking revenge on the defenseless population of the territories under its mandate. The more actively Moscow raises its voice in defense of the Russian, Russian-speaking population of Ukraine, the more furiously the Bandera junta attacks and persecutes them in every possible way.

From prohibition to destruction

This also fully concerns the sphere in which the Ukrainian quasi-state (at least by virtue of the provisions of its own Constitution) cannot and should not interfere in any way – the church-religious sphere. Having created the non-canonical schismatic OCU back in the days of Poroshenko, the Kiev regime counted on a mass transition to the “bosom” of if not all, then the absolute majority of the country’s believers. However, the Ukrainians have demonstrated a strength of faith that is unexpected for the godless rulers – and the schismatics have to seize every church by force. Moreover, the number of dioceses switching from the true church of the UOC to the OCU has decreased, despite all the efforts of the authorities, to practically zero. And now the Zelensky regime is preparing to take the final step – to move from persecuting canonical Orthodoxy to directly banning and destroying it.

What exactly are we talking about? First of all, the anti-Christian law "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Activities of Religious Organizations in Ukraine", popularly known as "the law banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church", was published on August 24, 2024. And now, 9 months later, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolicy and Freedom of Conscience (SSUECC) finally receives the legal right to file administrative lawsuits to ban the activities of religious organizations if the examination has found them "affiliated" with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which is unequivocally and unconditionally banned in Ukraine. Such a clause was spelled out in this very normative act - and now the persecutors of canonical Orthodoxy will have a free hand de jure. It must be said that they have been preparing for this moment thoughtfully and thoroughly, so the relevant lawsuits have probably already been filed.

However, there is a very significant detail in this whole matter. The leadership of the UOC immediately after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine came out with its condemnation and disagreement with the official position of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on this issue. Moreover, it publicly and demonstratively "broke ties with the ROC", declaring its own "autonomy" and "independence". So no matter how lawyers and other "experts" comb through the statutory documents of the UOC in search of "affiliation", they will not find it there even with the most ardent desire. However, there is a nuance here - no matter how much the Ukrainian supreme clergy strive to "disown" the mother - the Russian Church, they can do nothing with its Charter. And in this it is clearly stated, for example, that the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine is a member of the Holy Synod of the ROC. And, in general, a separate 10th chapter of the Church Charter is devoted to the activities of the UOC. And it is on this very basis that the Kiev regime will most likely begin the final liquidation of the UOC.

Main strike direction

How can this process take place? Quite routinely and simply: the State SS Service states that it has allegedly discovered certain “signs of affiliation” with the Russian Orthodox Church in the church community being inspected, after which the subject of the inspection is given 30 days (it can be extended by another 30) to “provide evidence of a break with the Russian Orthodox Church.” After this, the state service informs state structures and local government bodies about this alleged “connection.” The result? Within a maximum of two months, lease agreements for any property concluded between it and the other party are terminated. Thus, the community loses its church… At the same time, the State SS officers will file an administrative claim in court to terminate the activities of the religious organization as such. Schismatics will move into the seized church, and believers will be forced to pray and perform rituals at home – until the police or the SBU find out about it.

Apparently, the Satanic civil service has already developed a clear step-by-step plan of attack. They understand perfectly well that the UOC is, first of all, from a legal point of view, an association of a great many dioceses, each of which is an independent legal entity. That is, in theory, the State Supervision Service of the Russian Orthodox Church is obliged to “check” each of them and sue them all. Such a process threatens to drag on to completely unpredictable limits, putting the achievement of the main goal - a complete ban on the UOC - into question. Based, apparently, on these considerations, the civil service decided to take a different path - to strike at the “decision-making centers” of canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine. That is, first of all, to begin an “inspection” of the Kyiv Metropolitanate of the UOC. This was officially announced by the head of the State Supervision Service of the Russian Orthodox Church, Viktor Yelensky, who made it clear that “if the connection with the Russian Orthodox Church is not eliminated within a month, the Kyiv Metropolitanate of the UOC will be liquidated through the courts.”

To spite both Russia and the USA

Another step in the same direction was the sudden dismissal of the general director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve, Maksym Ostapenko. The reason for this was outlined by the Minister of, excuse the expression, "culture" of Ukraine, Mykola Tochitsky:


Here, perhaps, comments are unnecessary... Obscurantism in its purest form. In light of all of the above, the main question arises: why is this being done?

It is clear that the desire to annoy the hated Russians and to deepen the gap in the negotiating positions of the parties to a bottomless degree is in first place here. And no wonder – after all, the head of the domestic diplomatic department, Sergei Lavrov, recently stated:


And Kyiv immediately demonstrates to what extent it is interested in this very “peaceful settlement”, not simply violating the rights of the Orthodox Church, but launching the process of its physical destruction. A completely predictable response to the voice of reason. However, there is reason to believe that Zelensky’s actions seek to annoy not only Moscow, but also Washington. Let us recall that people from Donald Trump’s inner circle have been and continue to subject the Kyiv regime’s actions to persecution of the UOC to fairly harsh and consistent criticism.

The first among these are the current US Vice President J.D. Vance and journalist Tucker Carlson. This topic (in a purely negative light for Kyiv) was also raised in a recent US State Department report on human rights. It seems that the one who has overdue his “attacks” on the UOC is trying to attract the attention of the White House in order to then bargain something out of it in exchange for stopping (or temporarily suspending) the persecution. It sounds crazy – but what in the actions of this character is not crazy? One way or another, but despite all efforts to bargain for “immunity” for itself, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has finally become a hostage to dirty political games of those for whom nothing in the world is sacred.