Acknowledging Russian ties of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate is long overdue — Ukrainian MP

Ukrainian lawmaker Mykola Kniazhytskyi said this on Espreso TV.

“Of course, this is a very important decision, and I welcome it, but so far it has not affected the Russian Church in Ukraine in any way. It needs to have an impact. We are talking about this too late. It should have been done earlier, because the Russian Church and Russian cultural influence, through language and cultural products, effectively expose Ukrainian society to aggression.

First, it gives them a pretext to attack us, of course, superficial and fabricated, but they justify it to themselves, claiming they are defending the Russian language and the Russian Church. Second, when the Russians attack, they count on the Ukrainians lacking the strength to resist,” emphasized Kniazhytskyi.

According to the MP, the Russian Church and the influence of Russian culture weaken Ukraine’s ability to resist Russian aggression.

“I believe this should have been done long ago, and now we need to act decisively. That is why, by the way, Russia continues to demand the widespread use of the Russian language, recognition of it as official. They say: no, not as the state language — recognize it officially and repeal all laws protecting the Ukrainian language. They also demand full permission for the Russian Church to operate, which is not a church but a sect promoting anti-Christian teachings under the direction of the FSB,” Kniazhytskyi added.

• The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience decided to recognize the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as affiliated with a foreign religious organization whose activities are banned in Ukraine.