Ukrainian MP Mykola Knyazhytsky has identified the “political irresponsibility” of the Ukrainian authorities regarding the ban of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with “Russia’s interests” in this issue, an espreso.tv source has reported.

The MP said that by “freezing” the church bills, the state leadership acts contrary to the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of December 1, 2022 and President Zelensky’s statement on ensuring “spiritual independence”. He recalled that “the ban on the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine” is referred to the issues affecting the course of military operations.

According to Knyazhytsky, people’s deputies make it impossible “to work on strengthening national security in the sphere of church relations” and do not take into account the conclusions of certain state institutions and religious scholars “about the absence of a break in the ties of Metropolitan Onufry’s church with the Russian Orthodox Church.”

“By doing so, the authorities are helping the UOC-MP to maintain the fiction of its so-called ‘disassociation’ from Moscow,” Kniazhytsky believes.

The MP added that radical decisions in this matter depend “on Metropolitan Onufry’s ‘maturation’ to proclaim the autocephaly of the UOC-MP”.