The aggressor country is trying to leverage the “UOC-MP case” in conjunction with the status of the occupied territories and other highly unfavorable conditions for Ukraine. If Ukraine does not comply with these demands, Moscow will continue to menace Ukrainian civilians and threaten to destroy peaceful Ukrainian cities.
“This is blackmail,” notes historian and religious scholar Dr. Serhii Shumylo in his blog on RISU.
Clause 11 regarding the protection of the UOC-MP, as part of the so-called “memorandum,” is one of the conditions for suspending the war that the Russian delegation presented during the talks in Turkey. This demand comes alongside calls for Ukraine to completely withdraw from the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk regions, and Crimea, as well as to limit the size of its Armed Forces and the number of weapons it possesses. These demands pose a threat to Ukraine's state independence, as noted by experts.
“At the same time, the Russian Federation is actively destroying UOC churches and completely dismantling the organizational structure of the UOC in the occupied territories, which it claims to be trying to protect,” said Shumylo.
He believes that the Synod of the UOC should issue an urgent statement categorically protesting and disagreeing with the Kremlin's manipulations involving their Church, while also confirming its complete severance from any ties with the Moscow Patriarchate. “This is essential if the Synod is truly Ukrainian, independent, and has no relationships with religious and other structures in the aggressor state. After all, it is disgraceful and unacceptable for the Ukrainian Church to be used in conjunction with claims on Ukrainian territories,” the expert emphasizes. He also expresses skepticism about whether any such protests will come from the leadership of the UOC-MP.
“I wonder who in the UOC is seeking protection from the Russian authorities? If the UOC has truly severed ties with Moscow, what interest does Moscow have in a church organization that is independent of it? The Kremlin does not appear to care about the fates of Ukrainian Protestants, Catholics, the OCU, or the Old Believers and True Orthodox. They also show no concern for the Romanian Orthodox communities in Ukraine. Yet, they equate the 'case of the UOC' with territorial claims. Does the UOC leadership agree to be a 'bargaining chip' in such disgraceful negotiations? I know that many ordinary believers and priests within the UOC strongly disagree with this. What about the church leadership?” Serhii Shumylo writes in a blog on RISU.
As reported, negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place in Istanbul on June 2. The parties agreed on an “all-for-all” exchange of seriously wounded and young soldiers.