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What did Kyiv's church measures of December 2022 involve?
Summary
A look back at the decree and bill that targeted religious organisations with links to Russia in early December 2022.
What was Ukraine's president proposing in the days before 5 December 2022? Two measures, both announced on 2 December 2022, aimed at religious organisations linked to Russia.
On 2 December 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree banning religious organisations with links to Russia. The decree also imposed personal sanctions on their representatives.
He also announced that the government would draft a law banning churches affiliated with Russia. He said the law was needed to counter Russian government efforts to weaken Ukraine from within.
The same day, as reported at the time, Zelenskyy submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada that would officially prohibit any activity in Ukraine by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The bill and the decree together set out the approach the president's office had chosen: sanctions on individuals through the decree, and a legislative ban through parliament.
By 5 December 2022, the bill was before the Rada.
