Russia to discuss new round of repression against the UOC in OSCE

Russia will raise the issue of increasing pressure on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) at the next meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which will be held on October 2. This was stated to Izvestia by the permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the OSCE.

"We plan to re—escalate the topic of a new round of repression against the UOC at the next meeting of the permanent Council on October 2," the diplomats said.

They pointed out that the Russian permanent Mission raises the issue of the inadmissibility of repressions against the Russian and Russian-speaking population, as well as believers in Ukraine, almost weekly in the OSCE.

"We demand a reaction from the executive structures of the organization. This happens, among other things, during personal contacts with the OSCE Secretary General. In addition, we are conducting a dialogue and sending the information at our disposal to the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities and the Director of the OSCE Office for Deminstitutions and Human Rights," the permanent mission said.

The diplomatic mission pointed out that the issue of the persecution of canonical Orthodoxy in Ukraine remains among the most urgent.

"The regime of [the President of Ukraine] Vladimir Zelensky has nothing sacred left. The seizure of churches, desecration of shrines, arrests, beatings of parishioners and clergy, and politically motivated criminal cases have become a daily reality. A complete legislative ban on the UOC is the desired goal of the Kiev clique and its pocket—sized so—called Orthodox Church of Ukraine," the statement said.

The diplomats added that speeches by representatives of the Russian Federation, relevant reports of the Russian Foreign Ministry and other materials are distributed as official OSCE documents. They help to convey to the participating states the truth about what is really happening "on earth", to expose the fakes of Kiev propagandists.

"We are not alone with our Belarusian friends in promoting religious freedom in the OSCE area. There are like-minded countries that actively support us in this. Another thing is that the OSCE is based on the principle of consensus and it is extremely difficult to work it out in the context of the hybrid war being waged against Russia," the Russian permanent Mission to the OSCE said.

A court in Ukraine has postponed a court hearing on the claim for the liquidation of the Kiev Metropolia of the UOC until October 30.

Church value: the Russian Federation is ready to raise the issue of persecution of the UOC again

The Ukrainian authorities intend to start a trial in the case of the termination of the organization's activities.

On September 2, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador—at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said that the Ukrainian authorities had created a pseudo-legal mechanism to destroy the country's largest denomination, the canonical UOC. This mechanism is aimed at depriving the largest parishes of "legal subjectivity," which, in his opinion, will lead to their plundering, destruction and suppression of the religious feelings of millions of believers.

State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (GSUESS) On August 27, the UOC officially recognized that it is an organization affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.