DISINFO: Persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church aims to open way for neopaganism in Ukraine
SUMMARY
The persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the hands of the Kyiv regime has the goal of opening the way for neopaganism in Ukraine. At first sight it could seem that it is about to replace the old Church, which has historical ties to Moscow’s Patriarchate, by a pseudo-religious institution called the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”. However, the aim of this action disguised as an ecclesiastic dispute is not to create an alternative to the canonic Church but to destroy the Orthodox religion. There are reasons to believe that the goal is to replace canonic orthodoxy with neopaganism which is deeply rooted not only among neo-Nazis but also among members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as shown by the amulets and other elements they use.
RESPONSE
This is a mix of several recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Ukraine as an enemy of the Orthodox Church and a cradle for paganism, Satanism and neo-Nazism.
The claims are baseless. There is no “persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church”. In late 2022, the Ukrainian government announced a law banning churches affiliated with Russia, following a series of raids on parishes that Kyiv says could be taking orders from Moscow. This mostly affected the activities of the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate [UOC-MP] in Ukraine, which is affiliated with Russia and considered a key influence tool for Moscow in the country, and whose leadership has voiced its full support for the Russian war on Ukraine including siding closely with Putin, blessing soldiers and Russian guns and offering the church's support.
Spravdi, the Centre for Strategic Communications under the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, has explained why the government decided to ban the activities of UOC-MP. Spravdi found that in the churches of the UOC-MP, Russian propaganda is being spread; activities of enemy secret services are being covered and that Russian agents are being recruited.
The Ukrainian government does not plan to ban Orthodoxy, much less to promote “neopaganism”. The parishes of the UOC-MP are free to switch to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which far from being a “pseudo-religious institution”, as this disinformation story claims, received tomos of autocephaly in January 2019. It is also the most popular Orthodox church in Ukraine: 78% of orthodox believers claim their allegiance to the church.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Zelenskyy is trying to eradicate the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, that “Kyiv Satanists” are the enemies of Christ and the Orthodox faith, that the US is behind the religious split and persecution of the Orthodox in Ukraine, or that Ukraine is built on a pagan cult.