"Ukraine fights Russia on all fronts. There is only one breach, and it is in the religious sphere," - OCU Hierarch

This was stated by Metropolitan Yevstratiy (Zorya) of Bila Tserkva of the OCU in an interview with Gazeta.ua.

"We have no diplomatic, economic, or media ties with Russia, and the activities of pro-Russian parties are banned. Ukraine resists Russia in all areas in which the latter displays hybrid aggression. There is only one breach, and it is in the religious sphere due to the misconception that the Russian Church is actually a church, while it is nothing but a department of the Kremlin," he said.

"The subordination of religious organizations in Ukraine to Russian religious centers is a tool Russia uses to influence us. Therefore, the task of the state is to remove this tool by law. This is not about freedom of religion but about completing the logical series: if we do not have Russian banks and media, then there should be no Russian religious organizations. This applies not only to Orthodoxy; on a more implicit level, Russian policy extends to the Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim communities. Imposing a legislative ban and completing this process by adopting a relevant government bill would become a considerable step and a response to public expectations," the OCU Metropolitan emphasized.