On Saturday, Ukrainian news agency Levy Bereg reported, citing its sources, that Zelensky signed a decree stripping 13 priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of their Ukrainian citizenship.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to revoke Ukrainian citizenship from 13 priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) “satanism.”
“And this happens on Orthodox Christmas! This is pure Satanism,” she wrote on her Telegram channel on Saturday, commenting on information about the relevant decree of the Ukrainian leader.
On Saturday, Ukrainian news agency Levy Bereg reported citing sources that Zelensky signed a decree stripping 13 priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of their Ukrainian citizenship.
Since November 2022, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have been conducting a series of raids against UOC churches. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claims they found “pro-Russian literature and millions in cash”, as well as “material denying the existence of Ukraine”. Several members of the clergy were accused of high treason, sabotage and propaganda.
On December 1, Zelensky issued a decree on the implementation of a decision of the National Security and Defense Council on certain aspects of the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine and the implementation of personal special financial and other restrictive measures (sanctions), which essentially aimed to ban the UOC .
More specifically, he ordered a bill to be submitted to parliament to ban “religious organizations connected to centers of influence in the Russian Federation”, to intensify “measures to identify and deal with subversive activities of Russian special services in the religious sector of Ukraine” and examining the Charter governing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for indications of ecclesiastical and canonical ties to the Moscow Patriarchate.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
