Russia is suppressing the freedom of religion or belief in Ukraine: UK statement to OSCE
As Orthodox Christians in Ukraine prepare to mark Easter, Ambassador Holland raises Russia's suppression of freedom of religion and calls for an end to its illegal war.
Thank you, Madam Chair. As Orthodox Easter approaches this Sunday, many Christians are preparing to celebrate and to exercise their fundamental human right to practice their faith freely and safely. For over 10 years, Russia and its proxies have relentlessly violated that right in Ukraine. Since 2014 Russia has replicated its domestic repression of this freedom in Crimea and non-government-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine. This trend has intensified and expanded to further seized areas of Ukraine since the full-scale invasion.
Reporting from the UN and other organisations paints a harrowing picture of faith communities in Ukraine facing persecution as repressive Russian laws are brutally enforced. Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have long been persecuted within Russia, have been entirely banned. Crimean Tatars have faced some of the harshest repression with many arrested. Religious buildings and places of worship have been seized and transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Religious literature has been prohibited and fines have been issued to those who have committed so-called illegal missionary activities including preaching, praying and disseminating religious materials. Furthermore, religious figures have been subjected to torture, arbitrary detentions, and unlawful deportations – and many have even been killed.
Father Stepan Podolchak, a 59-year-old priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kherson Oblast, was known for his unwavering patriotism and insistence on conducting services in Ukrainian. Stepan resisted pressure from the Federal Security Services to align with the Russian Orthodox Church. In February 2024, Russian authorities forcibly took Stepan to an unknown location. Two weeks later, Stepan’s wife was summoned to identify his body. It’s reported that Stepan was tortured to death.
Madam Chair, Stepan’s tragic death is not an anomaly but fits the brutal tactics of the Kremlin Playbook. Tactics used to subjugate the civilian population and eliminate diversity of religion, culture and identity.
Two Greek Catholic priests, Father Ivan Levitsky and Father Bohdan Geleta, were unlawfully detained by Russian forces in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in November 2022. To this day, their families do not know where they are or if they will ever be released. Bohdan suffers from an acute form of diabetes, so his family are desperately concerned for his welfare.
The latest Moscow Mechanism report documented the inhumane treatment endured by Ukrainian civilians being detained by the Russian authorities, including the denial of crucial medical care, which has tragically led to the loss of many lives. Such reprehensible actions cannot be tolerated. Russia must uphold its international obligations by immediately halting the persecution of religious figures and unconditionally releasing all those it has unlawfully detained.
The UK, alongside our international partners, will do all we can to ensure that those responsible for Russia’s systematic campaign of human rights abuses and violations are held to account. The sole path to fully restoring human rights in Ukraine, including freedom of religion or belief, lies in Russia ending its illegal war and withdrawing its troops from every inch of Ukrainian soil. Thank you, Madam Chair.