Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill into law on Saturday that bans religious organisations associated with Russia from operating in Ukraine, in a move that specifically targets the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).
Zelenskyy signed off on the “bill amending certain laws of Ukraine regarding the activities of religious organisations” on August 24, according to a bill card published on the website of the country’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a bill that allowed for the prohibition of the UOC, recognised as canonical by the Russian Orthodox Church. Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said that the UOC would have nine months to severe its ties to the Russian Orthodox Church. The bill will go into effect 30 days after its publication.
The UOC has historic links to the Russian Orthodox Church. It announced its full separation from the Moscow Patriarchate in May 2022, which was not recognised by the Russian Orthodox Church.
