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Russian Orthodox Delegation to Washington Fuels Misleading Claims of Christian Persecution in Ukraine
A controversial visit by Russian Orthodox delegates to Capitol Hill has reignited misleading narratives about alleged persecution of Christians in Ukraine, amplifying one of the Kremlin’s most persistent propaganda themes since the full-scale invasion began.
Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida met with the delegation this week, subsequently declaring on social media that the “persecution of Christians under President Volodymyr Zelensky cannot be ignored.” Luna emphasized that the U.S. “should not be giving funding to any countries” engaged in religious persecution, comments that were swiftly amplified across Russian state media and by pro-Russian officials.
Russian economic negotiator Kirill Dmitriev publicly thanked Luna “for standing up for Christians,” while controversial Ukrainian figures with known pro-Russian leanings, including jailed lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinskyi and fugitive legislator Artem Dmytruk, actively promoted the narrative on social media platforms.
The delegation’s visit, the second such event since mid-November, reportedly involved meetings with U.S. legislators and staff to discuss what they characterized as religious suppression in Ukraine. After facing public criticism, organizers attempted to frame the gathering as a “pan-Orthodox” event, claiming participation from nearly 200 believers representing various Orthodox denominations.
However, experts note that the participating churches—including the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), and branches of the Serbian Orthodox Church—maintain close ties or sympathies with the Russian Orthodox Church, which has openly supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and maintains strong alignment with President Vladimir Putin’s government.
The backdrop to these claims involves Ukraine’s efforts to limit the influence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), a religious organization with documented connections to Russia. In August 2024, Ukraine passed legislation banning activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and giving affiliated religious organizations nine months to sever ties or face dissolution—though no definitive ban has yet been implemented as the issue remains under judicial review.
Ukrainian authorities have presented evidence of UOC-MP clergy justifying Russian aggression or collaborating with Russian forces during the war. This September, Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience filed a lawsuit to terminate activities of the UOC-MP’s Kyiv Metropolis, concluding that its ties to Moscow persist despite the church’s 2022 declaration of independence from Russian control—a move critics have described as merely symbolic without legal or practical effect.
Religious demographics in Ukraine reveal a different picture than the one presented by the delegation. According to September 2024 polling by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, approximately 54% of Ukrainians identify as followers of the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), while only about 6% identify with the Moscow-linked UOC-MP. Ukraine maintains significant religious diversity, with communities of Greek Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, and other faiths practicing freely.
The disinformation monitoring team at LetsData has identified coordinated efforts to spread related narratives on platforms like Facebook and Telegram, including claims that Ukraine is controlled by “satanists” or that the government suppresses “Orthodox values” in favor of other religions.
Keir Giles, a Russian disinformation expert at Chatham House, explains that this narrative supports Russia’s self-portrayal as “a center of traditional civilizational values and a bastion of Christianity—despite its public actions both at home and abroad being so clearly unchristian in nature.”
The contradiction is particularly stark given documented evidence that Russia has systematically persecuted clergy of the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Catholics, and Protestants in occupied Ukrainian territories, while simultaneously promoting the Russian Orthodox Church. Priests refusing to submit to Russian ecclesiastical authority have been driven out, kidnapped, or killed.
“This shows how there is no limit to how divorced from reality Russia’s narratives can be,” Giles notes. “They will still find fertile ground among the naive or the unscrupulous in target countries that can be convinced by Russia’s propaganda.”
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14 Comments
While religious freedom is important, these allegations of persecution in Ukraine appear unfounded. It’s crucial to separate fact from fiction, especially during a conflict.
Agreed. We should rely on credible sources and objective analysis, not propaganda, when trying to understand the complex situation in Ukraine.
These allegations of Christian persecution in Ukraine seem to be part of Russia’s broader propaganda campaign. We should be cautious about accepting such claims at face value.
Agreed. It’s crucial to rely on reputable, fact-based reporting rather than amplifying unsubstantiated narratives, especially during a conflict.
The claims of Christian persecution in Ukraine appear to be Russian propaganda. It’s important to scrutinize such narratives and rely on credible, fact-based reporting.
Agreed. We should be wary of attempts to misrepresent the situation and stir up religious tensions for political gain.
The Russian delegation’s visit and the subsequent social media activity suggest a coordinated effort to spread misinformation. We need to be vigilant against such tactics.
Absolutely. It’s important to scrutinize the sources and motivations behind these claims to ensure we have an accurate understanding of the situation.
While religious freedom is important, these allegations of persecution in Ukraine appear unfounded. It’s crucial to separate fact from fiction, especially during a conflict.
Agreed. We should rely on credible sources and objective analysis, not propaganda, when trying to understand the complex situation in Ukraine.
This seems like a continuation of Russia’s disinformation campaign. The delegation’s visit and the lawmakers’ comments should be viewed with a critical eye.
Absolutely. Amplifying these claims through state media and pro-Russian figures is a tactic to sway public opinion, not report facts.
The Russian delegation’s visit and the subsequent social media activity suggest a coordinated effort to spread misinformation. We need to be vigilant against such tactics.
Absolutely. It’s important to scrutinize the sources and motivations behind these claims to ensure we have an accurate understanding of the situation.