On June 30, Viktor Yelensky, the Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), met with David Smith, the UK Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), who was visiting Ukraine for official discussions.
According to the DESS, the Special Envoy’s visit symbolizes the United Kingdom’s solidarity with Ukraine and its people. The visit aimed to provide a firsthand understanding of the state of religious life in Ukraine amid the full-scale armed aggression by the Russian Federation.
During the meeting, the parties discussed in detail the current state of religious freedom in Ukraine and the progress of legislative initiatives related to this issue. They focused particularly on the systematic violations of the right to freedom of religion and belief occurring in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.
Viktor Yelensky highlighted that the Russian occupation authorities are persecuting representatives of religious organizations that refuse to collaborate with the occupying administrations. Additionally, they are effectively banning the activities of religious communities deemed disloyal by the occupation regime. He also pointed out that the repressive legislation imposed by the Russian Federation in the realm of religion, which has been becoming increasingly severe each year, applies to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
The Head of the DESS informed David Smith about the widespread destruction of religious buildings resulting from Russian armed aggression. He mentioned that the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra has recently been added to the long list of religious structures destroyed or damaged.
The discussion also highlighted the killing and abduction of clergy in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as the unlawful detention of religious figures and activists by the Russian authorities in various places of imprisonment.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Viktor Yelensky and David Smith discussed ways to enhance cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to further developing bilateral and multilateral contacts in the area of ensuring freedom of religion and belief.