Young Republicans of USA publish investigation into UOC persecution
Catherine Whiteford. Photo: Facebook
On June 2, 2025, Catherine Whiteford, Co-Chairman of the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF), posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) presenting facts of systematic persecution of the UOC with the direct involvement of Ukrainian officials, reports the American site UOJ.
Whiteford stated that "the great lie about religious freedom in Ukraine" can no longer be ignored, especially considering that American taxpayers continue to fund the Ukrainian government.
In her video address, she showed footage of the violent seizures of UOC churches, carried out with the involvement of police, officials, and radicals. Special attention was given to the events of May 15, 2025, in the city of Krasyliv, where the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was seized by representatives of the OCU with the support of law enforcers.
Among the figures mentioned as involved in illegal actions were the mayor of Krasyliv, Nila Ostrovska, the director of the municipal enterprise "Electrotrans" Serhiy Bobukh, the head of Krasyliv police Roman Tomchyshyn, SBU officers, and other high-ranking law enforcement officials.
Whiteford emphasized that these are not private initiatives but coordinated actions by the authorities against the largest Church in Ukraine.
"We are forwarding their names and evidence to the Trump administration and Department of Justice, and the US representative to the UN. Judgment is coming," Whiteford noted at the end of her address.
According to her, more than 1,500 UOC churches have been seized in Ukraine to date, mainly after the start of the "spiritual independence" campaign initiated by Volodymyr Zelensky in December 2022.
She also noted that the adoption of law No. 3894-IX, which international human rights defenders called the "law on UOC ban," indicates an attempt to completely destroy the Church as a legal entity.
Catherine Whiteford called on Americans to take active action: "Let us stop betraying Ukrainian Christians. Let us say 'no' to religious repression in Ukraine, 'no' to the law that treats peaceful Ukrainian citizens like criminals."
Earlier, UOJ wrote that young Republicans in the USA accused Zelensky of "religious purges".
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