Petro Poroshenko, a People's Deputy and leader of the European Solidarity party, called the order from the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience regarding the UOC-MP overdue. The said order recognizes the Kyiv Metropolia of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as affiliated with a foreign religious organization, specifically the Russian Orthodox Church, whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine.
"Over five years ago, we called on the authorities for a straightforward and necessary action: to accurately identify the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) for what it truly is — a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church that operates in the interests of an aggressor nation. Today, the state has officially acknowledged that the UOC-MP is affiliated with the ROC, whose activities are banned in Ukraine. While this decision is overdue, it is the right one," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.
According to him, for the past five years, the Moscow Patriarchate has been a significant tool of Russian influence in Ukraine. "On numerous occasions, priests from the Moscow Patriarchate have been found to disclose location data, collaborate with the FSB, spread Kremlin propaganda, and justify acts of aggression. This has all been part of the hybrid war waged against Ukraine. Now, the state has the legal grounds to take action. We must encourage and support all communities that choose to align with the Ukrainian church. At the same time, the state should protect believers from the influence of the FSB's presence in Ukraine," Poroshenko believes.