Separation of the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox Church: Freedom of Religion in Times of War

Commentary
On Nov. 24, 2022, a draft law to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was registered in the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian Parliament. According to Ukraine’s European Solidarity Party, the draft law prohibits all activity of any religious organisation that is somehow associated with, or accountable to, the Russian Orthodox Church “in canonical, organizational, and other issues.”
The Ukrainian legislature deemed the law necessary to protect national security and to ensure Ukraine’s liberation from the Russian Orthodox Church.
The draft law follows a decision of the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which, on May 27, had already declared its autocephalous independence from the Russian Orthodox Church and its head, Patriarch Kirill. However, some dioceses, mostly located in the Donbas and the Crimea, disagreed and continued their association with the Moscow Patriarchate….
Source: The Epoch Times