On February 2, the OCU Synod published an appeal in which it expressed “special concern” that the UOC was trying through the courts to repeal Law No. 2662 “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine” On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations “, which is supposed to change the name of the UOC, accused her of the fact that she is an “active Russian agent”, and called on the authorities and international partners of Ukraine to “pay attention to potential threats” from the UOC.

“The Word of God calls those who are wicked who distort the truth during legal proceedings for bribes. <…> For such crimes, every guilty person will be held accountable before God,” the statement says.

Referring to the “context” of the “Russian hybrid aggression against Ukraine”, the OCU expresses “special concern” that the UOC is trying through the courts to repeal Law No. 2662 “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine“ On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations ”, which provides for a change the names of the UOC.

“The Metropolitanate of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine stubbornly ignores this law. Being really a part of the Russian Orthodox Church, as indicated in the respective statutory documents of both structures, falling under the criteria specified in the law, a religious association called the “Ukrainian Orthodox Church” and religious organizations that belong to it, under the guise of a judge’s decision, publicly demonstrates adherence to Moscow Patriarchate, and for two years now they have not fulfilled the requirements of Ukrainian legislation,” the leadership of the OCU writes in a statement.

Therefore, they say in the OCU, the parishes of the UOC cannot “make changes to the Unified State Register” and “register new religious organizations.”

Further, the OCU tries to accuse the UOC of the fact that there are “active Russian agents” among the priesthood, and calls on “our state and Ukraine’s international partners to pay attention to these potential threats and prevent their implementation”.