MP: Claim that UOC was funded by the Kremlin is a stereotype

Mykyta Poturaev. Photo: Facebook page of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, Mykyta Poturaev, stated that the notion of direct Kremlin funding for the UOC is a “stereotype,” Glavcom reports.

“Contrary to all the stereotypes that claim the UOC (MP) is practically directly subsidized by the Kremlin, the main sources of income that funded it – and the ‘Mercedeses’ for its clergy – have always been its own resources plus patrons like Vadym Novynskyi,” said the MP, who is known for his openly hostile remarks about the UOC.

He complained that the OCU “simply doesn’t have that kind of capital; there are no patrons of that level.” According to him, the few sponsors they do have “just can’t support the entire system.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to Poturaev, the State Ethnopolitics Service had studied UOC–ROC ties using Russian documents.

Read also

OCU parishioners in Kosmach sue each other over December 25 service

An OCU parish in Ivano-Frankivsk Region held no services either on December 25 or on January 7.

Analyst likens Bankova’s case against UOC to Stalin-era repression

Bondarenko said the way the authorities justify pressure on the Church may amount to the rhetoric of the totalitarian era.

Christmas caroling and festive concerts held across UOC eparchies

During the January celebration of the Nativity of Christ, UOC communities across the country sing carols, hold concerts, and organize charitable initiatives.

Primate: God’s law is written in every human heart

During a sermon in Boryspil, His Beatitude reminded the faithful of the meaning of Christmas and the need to live according to God’s commandments.

Media: Transgender-identified inmates sexually assault women in US prisons

Female inmates, who have been interviewed extensively as part of the research on the impact of gender ideology in custodial settings, describe the facility as “a haven for sexual predators who pretend to be transgender.”

Guardian: Bible sales in Britain hit new highs in 2025

Specialists are noting growing interest in Christian texts amid social change and a rethinking of faith’s role in contemporary society.