Russian forces have killed almost 70 clergy and destroyed more than 630 places of worship in Ukraine since the start of its 2022 invasion, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Source: OSV News.
The ministry, led by Andrii Sybiha, issued a January 10 statement saying Russia’s invasion “has had a devastating impact on religious freedom” in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Russian occupation authorities “relentlessly restrict the activities of all religious organisations that maintain an independent stance or support the territorial integrity of Ukraine, grossly violating the rights of believers and the fundamental principles of freedom of conscience enshrined in international law”, the statement said.
Mr Sybiha’s office urged “the international community to strongly condemn these flagrant human rights violations, particularly the right to freedom of conscience, in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.”
The statement also called on nations to “strengthen sanctions against the Russian Federation and increase pressure on Russian authorities” and to “intensify efforts to bring to justice all those responsible for the crime of aggression, genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity”.
Russia’s invasion has been declared a genocide in two joint reports from the New Lines Institute and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights.
So far, it has resulted in the deaths of 67 religious leaders from various faiths, some of whom have been killed “even while performing their sacred duties,” the statement said.
Russian occupation authorities “have systematically repressed religious freedom, targeting not only denominations banned by Russian law, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Hizb ut-Tahrir, but also all religious organisations independent of the Moscow Patriarchate” of the Russian Orthodox Church, the ministry said.
In December 2022, Russian occupation officials formally banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in occupied territories and forcibly expelled clergy in a breach of international law.
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Russia is killing clergy, banning religions in occupied Ukraine, says foreign minister (By Gina Christian, OSV News)
