Review article
https://doi.org/10.31337/oz.80.4.7
Church–State Relations in Ukraine Current Legislative Initiatives Which Address Ideological Threats to Sovereignty
Oleksandr Sagan
orcid.org/0000-0003-4177-5809
; Philosophy Institute of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine
Mechyslav Yanauer
orcid.org/0009-0008-2717-0145
; Philosophy Institute of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine
Abstract
A 2024 Ukrainian law on religious organizations and national security has
sparked heated debate at home as well as criticism abroad, amid warnings of an
illiberal drift. This article situates the law within Russia’s full–scale invasion and
the accompanying “Russian world” ideology, and assesses its purpose, content
and projected effects. A doctrinal analysis of the statute suggests that its adoption
through transparent legislative procedures is primarily intended to sever a
key conduit for the expansionist doctrine. The study disentangles legal terms that
have been misrepresented in public discussion, distinguishing the “termination”
of an organization’s legal personality (worship is still permitted) from the far
more severe “cessation of activities”. It finds that enforcement is court–centred,
protected by multiple levels of appeal, and aimed at institutional affiliation rather
than theology. Methodologically, it examines the legal text alongside a snapshot
of contemporary Ukrainian Orthodoxy identifying the continuing threat posed by
the spread of the “Russian world” narrative.
While technical refinements to the law may be necessary, the article concludes
that generally speaking Ukraine’s approach is consistent with international human
rights law, mirrors solutions recently adopted in neighbouring states, and
stands in sharp contrast to the documented closures, confiscations and violence
inflicted on faith communities in Russian–occupied territories.
Keywords
church–state relations; “Russian world” ideology; Ukrainian orthodoxy; politicization of religion; freedom of conscience
Hrčak ID:
336314
URI
Publication date:
15.10.2025.
Visits: 311 *