DISINFO: Ukraine is an anti-Christian country
SUMMARY
Ukraine is anti-Christian and particularly an anti-Orthodox country. Following the USSR break-up, the Ukrainian state has chosen to join the Western civilisation, which prioritises the destruction of Christianity. The West is a global project aimed at bringing up anti-national and anti-religious humans willing to kill everything traditionalist.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative portraying the West as a decadent and immoral society that destroys traditional values. The article claims that the West is trying to export its hostility to traditional values, materialism and perverse attitudes to non-Western nations.
Ukraine is an overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian nation, with nearly eight-in-ten adults (78%) identifying as Orthodox, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey of much of the country.
“Threatened values” is one of the most common narratives used by pro-Kremlin outlets. The narrative is adapted to a wide range of topics and typically used to discredit liberal Western attitudes about the rights of women, ethnic and religious minorities and LGBTI groups among others.
In liberal-democratic societies, Christians and other religious communities enjoy full freedom of religion and belief. Freedom of religion and belief has significant protections in the EU. Religious freedom, as an established human right by-law, is closely connected with the development of the Western and the European liberal and democratic states.
Despite the dropping levels of religious practice in Europe, the majority of western Europeans still identify themselves as Christians, a 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center shows. According to the same survey, 31% of western Europeans who identify themselves as Christians attend religious services at least monthly.
Read similar cases claiming that the US State Department is trying to eradicate the Orthodox church, that liberalism subverts national, moral and religious values, that the Bible will be banned soon in Europe, and that liberals want to kill Christians or at least they want to kill Christian beliefs and practices.
Technical remark: This disinformation was broadcast via Sputnik on 29 November 2022. Due to the EU decision to restrict the spread and dissemination of RT and Sputnik inside the EU, access to the link may not work inside the EU.