The Russian Church is advancing through the UN, according to Pyotr Andryushchenko.

The Russian church has launched an offensive. Through the UN.

The 41st periodic report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights claims that Ukraine allegedly restricts religious freedom.

Given the UN leadership's proximity to Russian influence and the extensive lobbying by Russians in all international institutions, this was bound to happen sooner or later. One of the main arguments of Russian propaganda is the violation of believers' rights in Ukraine. This topic resonates in many countries of the civilized world due to the dominance of liberal values.

But is there really a restriction on religious freedom in Ukraine?

The UN findings pertain to the law prohibiting religious organizations with a central leadership in Russia. Ukraine does not permit the activities of organizations that position themselves as religious, should they be subordinate to leadership centers located in the aggressor state.

Does such a prohibition ban the religion itself? Not at all. Moreover, it does not address issues of faith at all. In contrast to Russia, where the vast majority of Protestant churches are forbidden, specifically due to their faith. Yet, for some reason, there is no mention of this in the report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner. Perhaps this holds the answer to why there is such sudden attention on Ukraine?

But let's return to the ban on Moscow's religious organizations.

Although it pertains not only to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and was introduced for national security reasons, it is essential to mention that Moscow uses the ROC for war propaganda and the dissemination of the ideology of Russian imperialism. Is it truly a faith when the church openly supports the genocide of Ukrainians and essentially calls for our extermination for having our own church? Should such a church operate freely not only in Ukraine but worldwide? Is it any different from other terrorist groups and organizations that exploit religion to promote terrorism under the guise of fighting for religious freedom? I don't think so.

Furthermore, if we specifically return to the issue of faith, the official Ukrainian authorities have not interfered in the process of religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate transitioning to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Such a transition has always been and remains the independent decision of the believers.

In conclusion, the High Commissioner should have mentioned the real restrictions on religious freedom in its most inhumane manifestations. Specifically, that during the full-scale invasion, Russian occupiers killed 50 priests and destroyed about 700 churches of various denominations in Ukraine. However, we only hear silence and victim-blaming. Again and again from the UN.