The overwhelming majority of Ukrainians believe that the UOC-MP is a "fifth column of the Kremlin" and that the state should intervene in the activities of this denomination.
These are the results of a nationwide public opinion survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from April 20 to 25, 2024.
According to the survey results, 83% of Ukrainians believe that the state should, in one way or another, intervene in the activities of the UOC-MP (in December 2022, there were 78%, in May 2023 - 85%).
In particular, 63% believe that this Church should be completely banned in Ukraine (in December 2022 - 54%, in May 2023 - 66%). Another 20% now advocate for a somewhat "softer" approach, which does not involve a complete ban but rather entails establishing state control and oversight (in December 2022 - 24%, in May 2023 - 19%).
At the same time, 12% of respondents believe that nothing should be done and there should be no interference in the affairs of the UOC-MP and only individual possible cases of violations should be investigated (the same percentage as in December 2022, in May 2023 - 6%).
Respondents were also asked whether they trust the UOC-MP.
It was found that 82% of Ukrainians do not trust the UOC-MP. Trust - 8%, and another 11% could not decide on their opinion.
In all regions, the overwhelming majority (from 73% in the East to 88% in the West) do not trust the UOC-MP.
According to KIIS, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate continues its activities, which maintains its perception among the population as the "fifth column of the Kremlin."
"It is obvious that the Church fails to convince Ukrainians that it is no longer dependent on the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate and stands on pro-Ukrainian positions," emphasized the organizers of the survey.