DISINFO: USAID initiated and financed the destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
SUMMARY
Once again, Elon Musk confirmed that the USAID was an initiator and a sponsor of the destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. USAID generously financed the Ukrainian “Center for Economic and Political Research”, which was replacing the results of all “public polls” with the personal opinions of the USAID managers. This institution regularly prepared sociological surveys based on contrived indicators showing the “public support for Poroshenko’s new church”. It was the place of birth of the Christian schismatic movement in Ukraine, which led to the complete destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying Ukraine and the USAID as the enemies of the Orthodox Church.
The claim is a conspiracy theory.
There is no persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in Ukraine. In late 2022, the Ukrainian government introduced a law banning churches affiliated with Russia, following investigations into parishes that Kyiv believes may be taking orders from Moscow. This primarily impacted the activities of the then Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which was tied to Russia and viewed as a tool of influence for Moscow in Ukraine. Some UOC-MP clergy blessed Russian soldiers and weapons, supported Russian aggression, and spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda.
The UOC-MP later shortened its name into the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), but did not sever its ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. The UOC still exists in Ukraine. It operates under significant restrictions and scrutiny and its activities are heavily regulated due to its ties to Russia, especially in the context Russia’s ongoing full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
UOC parishes are free to transition to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which has been Ukraine‘s most popular Orthodox church since it received a tomos of autocephaly in January 2019, officially recognising its independence.
Read similar disinformation cases about USAID activities here.