On June 14, the Russian dictator issued a new ultimatum to Ukraine: to start peace negotiations, Ukraine must voluntarily hand over all the territory of the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions to the "Russian world." This condition was described as a "realistic peace proposal."
Researchers have noted that Ukraine is being asked to give up two regional centers and 26,000 square kilometers of its land. The territory that Ukraine is supposed to cede has been compared in size to North Macedonia, Slovenia, or Israel.
However, there is another dimension to these territories. In the areas of these regions under Ukrainian control, dozens of religious communities continue their activities: 94 in Kherson, 96 in Zaporizhzhia, and 113 in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The arrival of the "liberators" would mean a total cleansing of the religious space from all "non-Orthodox" or "incorrectly Orthodox" religious communities.
This is evidenced by two years of "liberation," "denazification," and "desatanization" occurring in the occupied territories.
- Almost all religious communities, except for UOC churches, are banned in the occupied territories. The All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christian Baptists (AUCECB) alone has lost 400 communities there, which is 17% of their total number in Ukraine. How much more will need to be sacrificed to appease the insatiable dictator?
- The church buildings of these communities have been confiscated. Some have been looted or repurposed to meet the needs of the occupiers. Others have been closed and left to decay. So, how many more churches will be taken from the communities? How many crosses will be cut down? In how many churches will barracks be established?
- According to various sources, the list of deceased priests ranges from 30 to 50 individuals. How many more priests and believers on these lands will be killed?
- Dozens of priests in the occupied territories have faced arrests, torture, threats, humiliation, and deportation. So, will these lists be extended to those who are currently serving in the frontline areas?
- Catholics, Orthodox of the OCU, and Protestants in these territories, for which Russian Orthodox are waging a "holy war," will certainly have to pack their bags. According to the Chancellor of the Donetsk Exarchate of the UGCC, at this time there are no parishes left in the occupied territory of Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions. Before the full-scale invasion, there were 13 parishes operating there. As for Jehovah's Witnesses, the "New Generation," and others deemed extremist by the Russians, there is no need to mention their situation.
- Even UOC priests should not expect that their confessional affiliation will guarantee their safety. It is worth recalling that one of the priests who was arrested and is now being tried by the Russians is Kostyantyn Maksimov, a UOC priest from the city of Tokmak. So, how many more Kremlin hostages will become a constant topic of international debates?
Here it is, the program "facilitating the integration of religious organizations into the Russian socio-cultural space," which was launched in Russia. Its consequences—intimidation, humiliation, total control, fines, arrests, and deportations—have already been felt by thousands and thousands of Christians in Ukraine. So, does this integration, which bears the signs of religious genocide, really need to be expanded to new territories to achieve "peace"?