Cabinet appoints Viktor Yelensky as head of State Ethnopolitics Service

Viktor Yelensky meeting with DESS staff. Photo: dess.gov.ua

On December 19, 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved Viktor Yelensky as the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), according to a report on the agency's official website.

Introducing the new head to the DESS staff, Cabinet Minister Oleg Nemchinov emphasized that the President and the government pay special attention to state policy in the field of religion, considering its importance in the context of Ukraine’s European integration.

Viktor Yelensky congratulated the DESS employees and expressed hope for fruitful cooperation.

The new DESS head is a religious scholar, publicist, and politician, holding a Doctor of Philosophy degree and having served as a Member of Parliament in Ukraine’s VIII convocation.

Reminder: On December 6, the Cabinet of Ministers dismissed the previous DESS head, Olena Bohdan, and elevated the status of the agency, placing it directly under the Cabinet's authority.

As previously reported by the UOJ, media sources have described the newly appointed head of DESS as an active opponent of the UOC.

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