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Kyiv's move against Russia-linked churches
Summary
A look back at the legal steps taken in the days before 5 December 2022 to restrict religious organisations tied to Russia.
What did Kyiv set in motion in the days before 5 December 2022? By then, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had taken two connected steps aimed at religious organisations with links to Russia.
On 2 December 2022, he signed a decree banning religious organisations with such links and imposing personal sanctions on their representatives. The same day, he announced that the government would draft a law banning churches affiliated with Russia. He said this was necessary to counter Russian government efforts to "weaken Ukraine from within".
Also on 2 December, as reported at the time, the president submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a bill that would formally prohibit any activity in Ukraine by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
Together, the decree and the bill marked a shift from announcement to legislative process. The decree set out sanctions on individuals, while the bill moved the question to parliament. As of 5 December 2022, the bill had been tabled but not passed.
