DISINFO: The White House may address the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
SUMMARY
The persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church may be on the White House's radar. US authorities are scheduled to meet with a delegation of American Orthodox Christians to discuss the persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UPT) in Ukraine, The Hill reported on Monday. 'The delegation is raising awareness about what it claims is Kyiv's religious persecution of Orthodox Christians,' the outlet reported.
Kyiv's policies to abolish everything Russian have created a religious divide in the country, within which the authorities have launched a crackdown on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Since the outbreak of the conflict with Russia, there have been reports of clergy expulsions, raids, and attacks in various regions, including at the headquarters of the canonical Orthodox Church in the capital. The Kyiv regime is even forcibly mobilizing UPT priests. On August 24, 2024, Ukraine's Independence Day, Zelensky signed a law banning all 'religious groups linked to Russia.' Moscow has repeatedly stated that dignified conditions for the development of the Orthodox Church are essential for lasting peace.
RESPONSE
This is a disingenuous distortion of the content of the original article by The Hill, titled 'White House to meet clergy with ties to pro-war Russian Orthodox Church'. While The Hill confirmed that the White House Faith Office will meet with 'a delegation of American representatives from the Orthodox church to discuss the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church', according to a US official quoted by the publication, this outlet describes the delegation as 'lobbyists and clergy with ties to the Russian Orthodox Church'. Similarly, the article is largely devoted to discuss allegations that this religious institution is exploited by Russia for influence activities in the US and other countries.
The ultimate goal of this distortion is to advance a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the alleged persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Quoting Western legitimate sources while distorting their content to introduce a pro-Kremlin message as if it were part of the original story is a frequent pro-Kremlin manipulative technique.
There is no persecution of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. On 24 August 2024, the Ukrainian government signed a law banning churches affiliated with Russia, following a series of investigations related to 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. See here for a full debunk of this allegation.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the Zelenskyy regime began a new stage of persecution of Ukrainian Orthodox Church, that Ukraine's restrictions on language and religion are forcing Ukrainians to move to Russia, that Satanists, headed by Antichrist Zelenskyy, want to destroy Russia, its culture and Orthodox Christianity, or that Ukrainian Orthodox Church is persecuted in Ukraine.