The revolution of spirit: Ukraine's fight for religious autonomy
By Sergiy Slipchenko, correspondent from Ukraine
For decades, Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine was heavily dominated by the Russian Orthodox Church. Now, the country is fighting to free its churches from Russian influence.
On 7 January 2023, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine held its first-ever Christmas service inside the Kyiv Pecherska Lavra, or Kyiv Cave Monastery, which had been under Russian control since the late 15th century. This symbolises a cultural battle raging in Kyiv as the government attempts, with popular support from the Ukrainian people, to free the country's many religious and historical sites from the grip of the Orthodox Ukrainian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, a relic of Imperial Russia.
Carved into rock and with golden towers standing tall, the Pecherska Lavra is made up of multiple monasteries, churches, and a collection of other buildings. Founded in the 11th century by the Kyivan Rus, it is one of the most important religious sites in Ukraine and is a UNESCO heritage site. “It's an amazing moment. Previously this place – on Ukrainian territory, within Kyiv – has been linked to Moscow. Now we feel this is ours; this is Ukrainian. This is part of the Ukrainian nation," said Alex Fesiak, a Kyiv resident who attended the ceremony.
But how does a monastery located in the centre of Kyiv get into the hands of the Russian church in the first place? To answer this question, one has to dive deep into the religious history of Ukraine and Russia.
Russkiy Mir
Religious institutions in Russia are closely linked to Putin’s regime. It is part of the “Russian World” ideology, or Russkiy Mir, which the Kremlin uses to push the idea that any people or regions sharing commonalities, such as the Russian language, culture, or religion, belong to the Russkiy Mir.
The concept is a political tool employed as part of Russia’s foreign policy. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin used the idea to justify the invasion of Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. A 2015 paper by Adam Hug, a former director of the UK think tank Foreign Policy centre, explains the concept of Russkiy Mir as “a major building block of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy,” he continues, “the concept of Russkiy Mir, a term used to identify Russia’s sphere of cultural and canonical influence,” is intertwined with “religious values espoused by the Russian Orthodox Church are essential elements of Russkiy Mir.”
The Russian Orthodox Church is heavily connected to the Russian government, with which it closely cooperates. For example, the previous Patriarch of Moscow, Alexy II, was a full-fledged KGB agent, as it was later revealed. The current leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarch Kirill, is known to be a close ally and friend of Putin.
The Russian government has supported the Church through financial assistance and legitimized it by permitting it to participate in state ceremonies and placing an emphasis that being Russian and being an Orthodox Christian are one and the same. Within the concept of Russkiy Mir, the Russian Orthodox Church is seen as one of three main pillars of Russian society and is heavily ingrained in the lives of Russian citizens.
In turn, the Russian Orthodox Church works in concert with the Russian government. Shortly after Russia announced nationwide mobilization efforts, Moscow Patriarch Kirill released a statement that all Russian soldiers who perished fighting against Ukraine would be absolved of their sins.
In orthodoxy, churches are organized around so-called patriarchates. These are cities in which religious leaders reside. For the Russian Orthodox Church, this is the Moscow Patriarchate. To uphold its influence over former Soviet republics, and especially Ukraine, the Russian Orthodox Church has set up the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). Its members have been known to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have close ties to their Russian counterparts, and in singular cases, even disclose information about Ukrainian positions to the Russian army.
The formation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church was heavily persecuted under the Soviet Union, but after the regime collapsed in 1991, the church experienced a resurgence and regained a prominent role throughout Eastern Europe. While Western Europe is experiencing a decline in the population holding religious beliefs, a study conducted in 2018 showed that over 70% of Ukrainians identify themselves as religious, with nearly all respondents identifying as Orthodox Christians.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) remained the main church in Ukraine, despite the restoration of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC) and the creation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP).
The UOC-KP elected its own Patriarch, but the split was not recognized by any other Eastern Orthodox Churches, and the Ukrainian Patriarch was excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church. Regardless, the church continued its practice, although it remained unrecognized.
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Orthodox Church of Ukraine: The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is a self-governing or autocephalous Orthodox Christian church in Ukraine. It was established in December 2018, when the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church officially united. The church is recognized as independent by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which granted it autocephaly (self-governance) in January 2019. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is not recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church, which views it as schismatic.
Russian Orthodox Church: The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches, and it is also known as the Moscow Patriarchate. It is an autocephalous (self-governing) part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is headed by the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate: The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is part of the Russian Orthodox Church, located in Kyiv and is a remnant from the time of the Russian empire. Despite cutting all ties in 2022, the Church has a history of supporting Russian propaganda narratives and having strong ties to the ROC.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate: Founded shortly after the collapse of the USSR, the Church sought to seek independence from the ROC. In 2018 it merged with the UAOC to form the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople: The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He is based in Istanbul, Turkey. The Patriarch is considered "first among equals" among the bishops of the Eastern Orthodox Church and presides over other Eastern Orthodox Patriarchates, totalling about 300 million members worldwide.
The annexation of Crimea and the beginning of Russian hostilities in Ukraine’s Donbas region in 2014, and more importantly, the Revolution of Dignity, otherwise known as the Maidan Revolution, led to a cultural burst amongst Ukrainians, leading many to embrace everything Ukrainian, including history, culture, and religion.
This highlighted the issue of UOC-MP being the recognized church yet under the control of the Russian Orthodox Church, supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Many Ukrainians were dissatisfied with the situation, but not much change took place until a few years later.
In 2018, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was formed from the unification of the UOC-KP and the UAOC. The following year, the head of all Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, signed an official decree, officially establishing the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and granting it independence.
This decision was met with resistance from the Russian Orthodox Church, which saw it as an encroachment on its territory. Most importantly, the decree rejected the Russian Orthodox Church’s claim over Ukraine. This led to the Russian Orthodox Church severing relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Meanwhile, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is recognized by all other Orthodox churches around the world.
The UOC-MP raids and allegations
Despite these developments, the UOC-MP continues to operate within Ukraine and controls numerous important religious sites in Kyiv. Ever since, the church has been used by Russian propaganda to claim that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, using the church as proof that Ukraine lacks an individual identity while separated from Russia.
But it seems to also have stirred up the attention of the intelligence forces, as the SBU, Security Service of Ukraine, has conducted numerous raids against members of the UOC-MP on the basis of collaboration with Russia and corruption. The SBU claims to have found large sums of cash, pro-Russian symbols, and literature supporting Russia’s narrative that Ukraine should not remain an independent nation.
The SBU stated that the large amount of propaganda material indicates that the main goal was for distribution, which is illegal in Ukraine. A statement from the SBU following the raids states that the actions “are aimed exclusively at national security issues. This is not a matter of religion.”
Following this, several lawmakers in the Ukrainian parliament have proposed and drafted a bill to completely shut down the UOC-MP and transfer all property to the OCU. As of now, the proposed amendment still needs to be decided on. Nonetheless, the Ukrainian government has already undertaken measures to minimise the influence of the UOC-MP, such as targeted raids and sanctions of higher-ups. Additionally, as the UOC-MP had been a mainstay for many Ukrainians for decades, especially for the elderly population, some citizens remain with the church. But even without government intervention, ordinary Ukrainians began to recant the UOC-MP and identify with the OCU, with hundreds of parishes officially making the switch since the start of the war.
The question of Pecherska Lavra
The Ukrainian government has begun to make major shifts that make it clear it wants the OCU to be the main church of Ukraine, despite showing restraint and not dissolving the UOC-MP. The biggest event to date is the refusal to renew the UOC-MP lease on the Upper Lavra in the Kyiv Pecherska Lavra.
The historical site of the Kyiv Pecherska Lavra sits on the west bank overlooking the Dnipro river that splits the capital in two. The location is considered to be one of the birthplaces of Orthodox Christianity. It received its name from the cave system underneath the premises, which acts as a final resting place for many saints and religious leaders.
The Kyiv Pecherska Lavra has been under the control of the Russian Orthodox Church, through its affiliate, the UOC-MP, since the late 15th century. However, the Ukrainian government is seeking legal means to change that.
The Moscow Patriarchate controlled the multiple religious buildings located on the premises of the Pecherska Lavra, which is divided into the Upper and Lower Lavra. On 1 January 2023, its lease on the Upper Lavra expired, and a request to renew it was rejected by the Ukrainian government. As for the Lower Lavra, the UOC-MP holds an indefinite lease on it, but the Ukrainian government is looking at ways to nullify it.
Rejecting Russification
As the Ukrainian army continues to fight to liberate its land, the Ukrainian people continue to fight and reject the Russification of their culture and identity, seeking to foster a church and religion separate from Russia.
With the fear of death becoming a daily concern for Ukrainians, many have begun to turn to religion to find hope and solace. The Ukrainian Bible society reports that the requests for bibles doubled in 2022 to 359,000 from 136,767 in 2021.
The Christmas mass held at the Pecherska Lavra on 7 January represents a new era for Christian Orthodoxy in Ukraine, with religious and historic sites being reclaimed, phasing away from a history of oppression at the hands of Soviet and Imperial Russia.
Sergiy Slipchenko is a freelance journalist currently residing in Toronto, Canada. He worked at the Kyiv Post as a reporter before the shutting down of the newspaper. The aftermath of the closure led Sergiy and his colleagues to launch The Kyiv Independent, where he worked as a political reporter. He studied political science at York University and completed a post-graduate program in journalism.