Russia accuses Ukraine of “satanism” over ban on its religious agent network

Despite numerous allegations over the years suggesting that clergymen from the Russian Orthodox Church were acting as agents for Moscow and the longstanding connections between its local leadership and the controversial Russian Patriarch Kirill—an ally of Vladimir Putin who frames Russia’s invasion as a fight against sin—the Russian Orthodox Church continued operating in Ukraine until the decision made on August 20.

The August 20 decision to ban these organizations took two and a half years to reach. This ban affects both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate. The latter, although it denies any ongoing affiliation with Russia, is considered a branch of the former.

The new legislation prohibits all Russian-linked religious organizations from operating. The Moscow Patriarchate parishes in Ukraine have nine months to sever their ties with the Moscow-based church. Additionally, the law grants state authorities the power to take action against religious organizations that fail to comply.

Russian propaganda has distorted the context of the recent ban, falsely portraying Ukraine as a totalitarian state suppressing religious freedom. The propaganda has escalated by accusing the entire country of 'satanism', aiming to mislead and incite outrage among audiences by framing the legislation as an attack on religion rather than a response to national security concerns.

“Ukraine bans religious freedom”

To undermine Ukraine’s credibility in Western society and maintain its network of influence, Russia has deployed its typical tactics by involving affiliated media outlets and social media figures. RT and Sputnik have once again taken center stage in disseminating their narrative, with support from various pro-Russian European media outlets.

The key narratives they are spreading are as follows:

1. Totalitarianism claim: The crackdown on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Mowcos Patriarchate (UOC MP) is framed as evidence of Ukraine's transformation into a totalitarian state. Allegations suggest that the Ukrainian government is enforcing draconian measures to suppress dissent and consolidate power, reflecting a shift towards a more authoritarian regime. This narrative portrays the ban as a sign of increased repression and a neo-Nazi dictatorship, indicating an erosion of democratic freedoms and religious liberties.
2. Religious persecution: The articles frame Ukraine’s ban on the UOC MP as a severe act of religious persecution. This narrative alleges potential violence, church looting, and desecration of sacred sites, as well as accusations that the law will lead to acts of mass violence against believers.
3. Eradication of authentic faith: Russian narratives, particularly those expressed by Maria Zakharova and Dmitri Medvedev, suggest that the Ukrainian government’s actions are aimed at eradicating authentic Orthodox Christianity. They assert that the crackdown aims to replace genuine religious practice with a state-sanctioned, false version of Orthodoxy, thereby undermining traditional faith and spirituality..
4. Satanic allegations: Medvedev, in particular, describes the crackdown as "full-fledged Satanism," accusing Ukrainian authorities of engaging in morally and religiously corrupt practices. He portrays the ban as a component of a wider plan by Western powers to inflict damage on Russia and its populace.

These narratives are spread by the Russian state-affiliated sources listed below:

1. RT (Russia Today):

• Orthodox Christian Church accuses Kiev of Soviet-style repression
• Crackdown on Ukraine’s largest church is ‘full-fledged Satanism’ – Medvedev

2. Sputnik News (French Edition):

• Interdiction de l'Église orthodoxe ukrainienne: Kiev se transforme "en un État totalitaire"

3. Pravda (English and Spanish Editions):

• UKRIANE WILL BE DESTROYED LIKE SODOM AND GOMORRAH FOR BANNING CHURCH
• Medvedev: El régimen ucraniano, apestoso y podrido, ha decidido superar el ateísmo del período soviético. La URSS, aunque era un país ateo, no prohibía las religiones ni ciertos credos
• Ukrainian MPs pave way for banning largest Christian church
• War against indigenous faith in Ukraine
• ️War on worship: Kiev adopts law paving the way to ban Ukrainian Orthodox Church

These X accounts have amplified Russian narratives and disinformation.

• https://x.com/Panchenko_X/status/1825947211341115710
• https://x.com/JDunlap1974/status/1825934976614846615
• https://x.com/BowesChay/status/1825834672259019124
• https://x.com/jacksonhinklle/status/1825926942681350372
• https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1825848638267904098
• https://x.com/Alex_Oloyede2/status/1825859113915490806
• https://x.com/runews/status/1825833958375924170

Many of these posts are authored by individuals known for spreading Russian disinformation. Diana Panchenko, in particular, has been a significant figure in this regard. In 2024, Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation blocked her YouTube project. Panchenko subsequently relocated to Russia, where she continued to produce content supporting Russian interests.

In 2023, the Ukraine Security Service issued a notice of suspicion to Panchenko for high treason. After working for Viktor Medvedchuk's sanctioned TV channels (Putin's ally, former Ukrainian media tycoon, who resides now in Moscow and allegedly has established the pro-Russian media network in the EU, Voice of Europe), Panchenko relocated to temporarily occupied Donetsk, where she continued her pro-Russian information and subversive activities.

Panchenko systematically justified Russia's aggression against Ukraine, supported Russian occupation of Ukrainian territories, and manipulatively covered Ukraine's military and political situation. She also discouraged resistance to Russia through her YouTube channel and a network of pro-Kremlin Telegram channels.

What led to Ukraine's ban on Russian Orthodox Church activities?

The adoption of this law is the result of mounting pressure on the UOC MP, which has faced scrutiny due to its promotion of the “Russian world” ideology—a key driver behind Russia’s invasion. Raids by Ukrainian security services have targeted UOC MP churches and monasteries, leading to the arrest of several clergy members accused of aiding the Russian invasion.

Many clergy affiliated with Russia were involved in gathering sensitive information, including details about local security, military movements, and political developments. They also played a role in disseminating pro-Russian propaganda and undermining Ukrainian national unity.

Religious leaders' support for war and regime aligns with one of the nine principles of war propaganda, which emphasizes religious leaders' role in endorsing and legitimizing a regime's actions. Russian propaganda has continuously highlighted the Russian Orthodox Church’s support for Putin and the war, depicting it as a sacred struggle to preserve Russia’s state and spiritual values. The Kremlin’s narrative paints the war as a fight against Satanists and the forces of evil, positioning Russia as the embodiment of virtue and Ukraine, along with its Western allies, as the embodiment of evil.

The Russian Orthodox Church has aligned with this war narrative, with clergy actively participating in blessing weapons Russian troops use in attacks on Ukraine, for instance. Top Russian TV propagandists have reached extreme levels of alignment, asserting that Russian opponents will simply perish in the war while they promise entry into paradise for Russians. Russia's efforts to justify and perpetuate the war intertwine religious and state propaganda.

Moreover, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill was involved with the KGB during his time in Switzerland in the 1970s. According to declassified Swiss federal archives, Kirill was in Geneva, where he worked to influence the World Council of Churches on behalf of Moscow. The KGB aimed to sway the council's stance on the United States and religious freedom in the USSR.

Besides, Russia's accusations of Ukraine's "Soviet-style" repression of religion, conveyed through its officials and affiliated media, are morbidly ironic, considering its own historical record in Ukraine. The Soviet government's repressions against Ukrainian priests, particularly those associated with the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), were part of a broader effort to stifle Ukrainian national identity and religious independence.

Russia’s repressions against Ukrainian clergy

1. Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC):

The UAOC was founded in 1921 with the goal of establishing an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church free from Russian influence. However, with the rise of Soviet power, the church faced severe persecution. During Stalin's purges in the 1930s, he arrested, sent to labor camps, or executed most of the UAOC clergy. The late 1930s effectively destroyed the church.

The UAOC experienced a brief revival during the Nazi occupation of Ukraine. However, after the Red Army regained control, the Soviet government once again repressed the church. The Soviet government arrested its leaders, forced the church underground, or dissolved it.

2. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC):

The Soviet government forcibly liquidated the UGCC, a major religious institution in Western Ukraine, in 1946. The NKVD (Soviet secret repressive police) orchestrated the infamous "Lviv Sobor" (Lviv pseudo-Synod), where, under duress, some clergy declared the UGCC's union with the Russian Orthodox Church. The NKVD arrested, imprisoned, or executed many UGCC clergy who resisted. The Soviet Union drove the UGCC underground until its collapse in 1991.

Creation of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate

1. Russian Orthodox Church:

After the Bolshevik Revolution, the Soviet state heavily controlled the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The Soviet authorities initially persecuted the church but later co-opted it as a tool to promote Soviet ideology, particularly during and after World War II. The KGB closely monitored the ROC's leadership and expected it to support Soviet policies, despite granting it some autonomy.

In 1943, Stalin allowed the restoration of the ROC's patriarchate as part of his strategy to boost morale during World War II. Stalin allowed the church to function but deeply compromised it, with many of its leaders becoming collaborators with the Soviet regime.

2. Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP):

In Ukraine, the UOC MP was effectively a branch of the ROC, created under the auspices of the Soviet government. Following the liquidation of the UGCC and the repression of the UAOC, the UOC MP emerged as the dominant Orthodox Church in Soviet Ukraine. Soviet policy used it as an instrument, promoting a Russified Orthodoxy that aligned with Soviet interests.

Even after the Soviet Union fell, the UOC-MP remained influential in Ukraine, often viewed as a symbol of Russian influence. Its relationship with the ROC has been a point of contention in Ukrainian society, especially given the ongoing war with Russia.

These repressions, as well as the establishment of these churches, were part of a broader strategy by the Soviet government to control religious life in Ukraine, suppress Ukrainian national identity, and impose on the local population Kremlin views.

Espreso TV has conducted this study on the spread of the Russian disinformation campaign on Ukraine’s ban on Russian Orthodox Church activities in collaboration with InsightNews.