DISINFO: Zelenskyy is trying to eradicate the Orthodox church in Ukraine
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: asd.news (archived)*
  • Date of publication: December 12, 2022
  • Article language(s): Russian
  • Reported in: Issue 321
  • Countries / regions discussed: Ukraine
Tags:
Orthodox Church Ukraine

DISINFO: Zelenskyy is trying to eradicate the Orthodox church in Ukraine

SUMMARY

The Nazi regime intends to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, to carry out a complete "confiscation" of all churches, monasteries, temples and other property by the end of 2023. Zelenskyy has actually announced something similar to the Bolshevik's “godless five-year plan”, with the goal to eradicate Orthodoxy in Ukraine.

RESPONSE

No evidence provided. This is a pro-Kremlin conspiracy theory aiming at portraying Ukraine as "Satanist", in line with the recurring disinformation narrative that Ukraine is "Nazi".

In early December 2022, the Ukrainian government announced that it will draw up a law banning churches affiliated with Russia, following a series of raids on parishes that Kyiv says could be taking orders from Moscow.

The Ukrainian government does not plan to ban Orthodoxy. It plans to limit the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate [UOC-MP] in Ukraine, which is affiliated with Russia. The parishes are free to switch to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which 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.

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.

Read more disinformation cases on the topic: Kyiv wants to exchange its Satanists for Orthodox priests; Borrell's remarks on Russian patriarch give Kyiv 'sanction' to persecute canonical church; the West wants to destroy Eastern Christianity through the war in Ukraine.

The Russian Patriarch in Moscow has voiced his full support for the Russian war on Ukraine incl. siding close with Putin, blessing soldiers and Russian guns and offering the church's support.

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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