Kazakhstan activists ask OCU to help create a “church without the ROC”

Turarbek Kussainov. Photo: Orda.kz

On October 6, 2025, Turarbek Kussainov, leader of the Kazakh civic association “Demos,” announced in an interview his plans to establish a new Orthodox structure in Kazakhstan, independent of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). According to the activist, the initiative group hopes to receive support from the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

“I think that after our association is registered with the Ministry of Justice, benefactors will appear little by little, and we’ll build our own church. And if our association is blessed by Constantinople, things will definitely move forward. We’re following Ukraine’s example in this regard and hope for support from our Orthodox believers through the OCU,” said Kussainov.

He added that he had already sent a letter to Patriarch Bartholomew, asking him to take note of the situation in Kazakhstan and support the initiative: “I delivered the letter, left the contact details of Fr. Yakov Vorontsov and my own for feedback. I’ll soon travel to Constantinople again. We have communication, but such things don’t happen quickly.”

Kussainov emphasized that he and his supporters are inspired by Phanar’s position on Ukraine: “We are encouraged that Bartholomew supports Ukraine and recently met with Zelensky. This shows that Constantinople is open to dialogue and ready to help.”

According to Kussainov, the future association may be headed by Hieromonk Yakov (Vorontsov), a former cleric of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan who was defrocked for “schismatic views.”

“We’ll start small – we’ll form a religious association led by Fr. Yakov. In mid-October, we’ll hold an online meeting, and the authorities have already given permission,” he said.

The activist claimed that the Russian Orthodox Church “has enormous influence over Kazakhstan” and “remains a tool of Moscow.” “We’ll do everything possible to tear our Church out of Putin’s grasp,” Kussainov stressed.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Swedish authorities are preparing to expropriate an ROC church due to its proximity to a NATO facility.

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