Kyiv to check land ownership of churches associated with Russian Federation

Kyiv City Council. Photo: kmr.gov.ua

On April 11, the Kyiv City Council made a decision to inspect 73 churches located on land plots as part of the communal property and associated "with the aggressor country", according to the website of the Kyiv City Council.

Vadym Vasylchuk, a deputy of the Kyiv City Council, stated that there are numerous documented cases where the interests of certain religious organizations pose a threat to public and national security.

"The activities of such religious entities create conditions for religious confrontation in Ukrainian society, preaching of enmity and intolerance towards other faiths and denominations, dissemination of false information, propaganda of ideas and narratives of the 'Russian world', as well as denial of the fact of Russia's military aggression," underscored Vasylchuk.

He also announced that the list of 73 churches for inspection will be expanded by the deputies. According to the deputy's plan, if violations are found during the inspection, the next step will be to appeal to law enforcement agencies and the court, where the church will be obliged to compensate for the damages caused during the illegal use of the land and vacate the territory from religious structures.

"This will create conditions to prevent the agitational-propagandistic activities of individuals hostile to Ukraine and decolonize religious objects in the city of Kyiv," added Vadym Vasylchuk.

As reported by the UOJ, the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security "Spravdi" under the Ministry of Culture called the reports that the KCC is considering the demolition of more than 70 UOC churches in the capital false.

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