The Kremlin is using the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to consolidate social control over occupied areas of Ukraine and destroy any semblance of religious freedom. Russian opposition outlet Novaya Gazeta Evropa published a report on April 3 detailing how the Kremlin-controlled ROC is targeting religious communities, particularly those affiliated with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), thereby serving as a tool of the Russian occupation administration throughout occupied Ukraine. Novaya Gazeta Evropa found that Russian shelling and airstrikes, as well as bans and other repressive measures, decreased the total number of religious communities in occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts from 1,957 before the full-scale invasion to 902 currently operating. This figure does not include data on religious communities in occupied Crimea, which have faced Russian religious oppression for over a decade. Novaya Gazeta Evropa noted that Ukrainian Christians, especially members of the OCU, face particularly intense oppression at the hands of the ROC. The investigation found that over 51 percent of churches destroyed since 2022 have been OCU churches, likely because the ROC sees the OCU as its biggest “competitor.” The OCU has been entirely independent from the ROC Moscow-Patriarchate since 2019. The ROC frequently seizes OCU churches that remained undamaged and appropriates them for ROC services or to cater to the needs of occupying Russian military personnel. Russian forces have also kidnapped, tortured, deported, and even killed OCU priests in a campaign of “systemic repression” against OCU clergy. Novaya Gazeta Evropa found that as a result of the ROC’s repressive policies, OCU functions in occupied Ukraine have “been completely stopped.” Novaya Gazeta Evropa also found that Russia has essentially “eliminated” the presence of non-Orthodox religious communities in occupied Ukraine, including those associated with Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism, with Catholic and Protestant communities facing types and levels of oppression similar to those the OCU faces. ISW has reported at length on Russian efforts to persecute religious minorities, particularly Christian communities, in occupied Ukraine as part of the Kremlin’s wider occupation campaign.
Key Takeaways:
- The Kremlin is using the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to consolidate social control over occupied areas of Ukraine and destroy any semblance of religious freedom.
- Russian officials discussed plans for the continued forced absorption of occupied Ukraine into the Russian economy during the “Integration-2025” forum.
- Russian federal censor Roskomnadzor issued an order on March 31 that will likely contribute to further crackdowns against pro-Ukrainian sentiment and dissent in occupied Ukraine.
- Russia continues to weaponize the school system in occupied Ukraine to Russify and militarize Ukrainian children and eradicate Ukrainian identity.
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[ISW] 이란 업데이트, 2025년 4월 8일
[ISW] 러시아의 공세 캠페인 평가, 2025년 4월 7일