How to counter Russian propaganda, how the influence of churches and religious organizations and their credibility can serve to debunk Russian mythologies, and how the media regulator will cooperate with the UCCRO – all these issues were discussed at a meeting of representatives of the UCCRO and the National Council on March 29.
This was reported by the National Council's website.
The prerequisite for the meeting was monitoring, which recorded the spread of information attacks by Russian propaganda media aimed at inciting discord and hostility on religious grounds in Ukrainian society.
After analyzing Russian rhetoric on religious topics, the National Council appealed to the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations to express its position as an authoritative interfaith organization and publicly condemn the manifestations of Russian state propaganda. Such a statement would also have an impact on the international arena because there is also a lack of balanced opinions that can be trusted by both believers and other respected organizations.
The issue of religious issues and religious freedom is very sensitive in our society, said Olga Gerasimyuk, Chair of the National Council. "We are all wounded today. We are under stress. Everyone needs support, including spiritual support," she said. The head of the National Council said that the regulator is currently working on the implementation of the law "On Media". It allows the National Council to respond more to the challenges of aggression and disinformation.
According to representatives of the National Council, they have made a lot of efforts to stop Russian propaganda at the technical level – by restricting access to Russian channels in Ukraine and Europe. However, another important component of the process of countering Russian disinformation is a refutation. It should be high-quality, credible, and give a clear understanding of the audience why and who can't be trusted.
In addition, one of the basic theses of Russian propaganda is the sacralization of Russian aggression, called the "holy war". In Ukraine and at the international level, there is a need to spread arguments, religious theological justification, and demonstrate scientific positions on the issue of "holy war" in order to refute and condemn this mythologeme. According to Dmytro Shvydchenko, this thesis is currently being weakened. However, we understand that this narrative will continue to be used by Russian propaganda with certain modified messages.
Therefore, the media regulator hopes that representatives of Churches and religious organizations will say their weighty authoritative words in order to refute Russian propaganda narratives on religious topics.
All religious organizations in Ukraine have joined the struggle for our common victory, said Vyacheslav Horpynchuk, Bishop of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, and Chair of the UCCRO. In addition to prayer, which is the first thing for believers, they organize a lot of humanitarian support for soldiers, refugees, displaced persons, and those who have lost their homes.
Representatives of the UCCRO said that they share the opinion about the dangers of Russian propaganda and, for their part, do a lot to refute its narratives among their flock. They expressed their readiness to cooperate at the partnership level.
"We've been successful in similar cooperation in other areas. "Our monitoring of hate speech, the spread of disinformation and propaganda served as arguments for European institutions to block or suspend the broadcasting of Russian media in Europe," Maksym Onoprienko, a member of the National Council, told RISU. "Our monitoring of calls for war serves the Prosecutor General's Office as evidence in criminal cases against Russian terrorists. Therefore, I am confident that joint work with the UCCRO, which will support our monitoring with regional justifications, will become a word of protection and truth not only for Ukrainians but for believers around the world and different faiths."