Ukraine Passes Law Safeguarding Constitutional Order in Religious Organizations

On August 20, the Ukrainian Parliament passed the law “On the Protection of Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Religious Organizations' Activities” in its second reading. The law stipulates a ban on the activities of foreign religious organizations affiliated with countries recognized as having committed or being involved in armed aggression against Ukraine and/or temporarily occupied parts of its territory. This also applies to organizations that directly or indirectly support armed aggression against Ukraine, including through public statements by their leaders or other governing bodies.

Specifically, the law bans the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The official text of the law states that the Russian Orthodox Church is an ideological extension of the aggressor state’s regime and complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on behalf of the Russian Federation.

The law will come into effect 30 days after its publication, except for one provision which allows communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate nine months to sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.