Kyiv's December 2022 move against Russia-linked religious groups
A look back at the steps taken on 2 December 2022 and what they set in motion in Ukraine's parliament.
What did Ukraine's president set in motion for religious organisations with links to Russia? The measures date from 2 December 2022, and this retrospective looks back at the situation as it stood on 8 December 2022.
On 2 December, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree banning religious organisations with links to Russia and imposing personal sanctions on their representatives. He also announced that the government would draft a law banning churches affiliated with Russia. He said such a law was necessary to counter Russian government efforts to weaken Ukraine from within.
The same day, as reported at the time, the president submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada that would formally ban any activity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in Ukraine.
The two steps worked in parallel: a decree with immediate sanctions on individuals, and legislation aimed at a lasting ban. By 8 December 2022, the bill was before parliament.
