on Google
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on Dec. 2 to approve a proposal by the National Security and Defense Council to ban Russian-affiliated religious groups and impose sanctions on a number of pro-Moscow bishops.
The primary target of these measures is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, an affiliate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The National Security and Defense Council instructed the Cabinet on Dec. 1 to draft a bill on such a ban. The bill is expected to be considered by the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament.
Zelensky also sanctioned Vadym Novynsky, an ex-lawmaker from the pro-Russian Opposition Bloc and sponsor of the Moscow-backed church; Pavlo Lebid, head of the Russian-affiliated church's Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and an ex-lawmaker from the pro-Russian Party of Regions, and Rotyslav Shvets, a bishop who "annexed" his Crimean diocese of the Russian-backed Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the Russian Orthodox Church in June.
Sanctions were also imposed on several other Moscow Patriarchate bishops in Ukraine's Crimea and a bishop who annexed his diocese in Russian-occupied parts of Luhansk Oblast to the Russian Orthodox Church in October.
The SBU reported on Dec. 2 that it was conducting searches at Moscow Patriarchate churches and monasteries in Zhytomyr, Rivne, and Zakarpattia oblasts.
The security measures aim to counter the subversive activities of Russian special services in Ukraine and protect the population from provocations and terrorist attacks, according to the SBU.
During previous raids, the SBU found Russian propaganda and xenophobic literature, Russian passports belonging to senior clergy, and documents with pro-Russian ideological messages at the premises of the Russian-backed church.
In May, the Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian church said it would have “full independence” from the Russian Orthodox Church, reacting to criticism of Russian-backed church leaders amid the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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.”
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. Under Orthodox rules, only one independent - or "autocephalous" - church can exist in a specific country.
The Russian-backed church's full independence under Orthodox rules would imply its merger with the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine but the Moscow-affiliated church has opposed such a unification.
Most Popular
Ukrainian Flamingo missiles strike military plant in large-scale attack on Russia, Zelensky confirms
Russian military official killed in car bombing outside Moscow, media reports
France, Germany end joint fighter jet development project amid reported industry dispute
'Time to sit at the negotiating table' — Bulgaria to stop sending arms to Ukraine
No visas for Russian soldiers, no crypto, no fish — EU announces new Russia sanctions package
News Feed Show More
Thursday, June 11
(Updated: )
A fire broke out at the Afipsky Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on June 11, amid a massive Ukrainian attack, eyewitnesses claimed.
*Ukraine aims to isolate Crimea from Russia, drone commander 'Madyar' says *Ukraine's drone advantage over Russia grows as nearly 180,000 military targets struck in May, Syrskyi says*Ukraine reportedly strikes military targets, hit several bridges in large-scale attack across Russian-occupied CrimeaNew*Lockheed Martin unable to guarantee Patriot missile delivery timelines for US allies, top executive says
Ukrainian forces carried out at least 31 strikes against Russian refineries, oil export terminals, and pipeline infrastructure in May, the highest monthly total since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The comments come as Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russian logistics routes and military infrastructure connecting occupied Crimea to Russian-controlled territory.
"We are all here together, we are defending the state, we are the same and we have absolutely the same rights, regardless of any prejudices held by people from the 15th century," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, in a rare public reference to the topic.
Ukraine currently maintains a 1.5-to-1 advantage over Russian forces in the use of FPV drones, with the gap continuing to widen in recent months, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
(Updated: )
During the meeting, the Russian side presented "an objective assessment of the destructive policies" of Western countries, namely the ongoing support of Ukraine via the Coalition of the Willing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
(Updated: )
Ukraine struck military targets in Russian-occupied Crimea, hitting several bridges as multiple explosions were reported across the peninsula overnight on June 11, according to local authorities and monitoring channels.
The news comes after a stray Ukrainian naval drone exploded in the Romanian Black Sea Port of Constanta on June 5, without causing casualties.
"We do not control what the allocation of those missiles is going to be. We can't tell anybody where you're going to be on that (priority list)," Brian Dunn, Lockheed Martin's vice-president for strategy and business development for missiles and fire control, said.
Russian forces launched two Iskander ballistic missiles and 221 drones, 195 of which were intercepted, overnight on June 11, according to the Air Force.
U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey has been among the strongest advocates for Ukraine within the British government.
Some 31.9% of respondents said the controversy, which sparked a diplomatic row between Kyiv and Warsaw, did not affect their view of Ukraine, according to a survey conducted by the SW Research agency.
