Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Russian Orthodox Church's external relations department, said on May 28 that unity between his church and its Ukrainian branch, officially known as the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is “preserved” and will continue to strengthen. On May 27, the Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church said it would have "full independence" from the Russian Orthodox Church. However, skeptics said it was just a ploy to appease critics since the Ukrainian branch effectively remained part of the Russian church and did not declare "autocephaly" - the Orthodox term for genuine independence. The Ukrainian branch also said that it “condemns the war” and “disagrees with the position of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow on the war in Ukraine.”
