DESS: Rome-Constantinople Christianity shields Ukraine from “Muscovite obscurantism”

Viktor Yelensky. Photo: DESS

On April 5, 2026, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience published an Easter message saying that Ukraine’s Christian tradition “shields us from the obscurantism of Muscovy.”

In the greeting, posted on Facebook, the agency said that on the day Catholics and Protestants celebrate Easter, “we all together feel a profound spiritual unity,” because, in the authors’ view, calendar dates are set not by God but by people and therefore “have no power over truth.”

The central claim of the statement was that Ukraine rests on “the two wings of the great Christian tradition” – the Western one, coming from Rome, and the Eastern one, originating from Constantinople. “Both paths are ours, both have made a weighty contribution to our culture, both shield us from the obscurantism of Muscovy and unite us with the civilized world. Ukrainians are defending it today on the front line, fighting precisely for what forms its foundation – freedom, human dignity, and human rights,” the statement said.

The agency also linked its Easter message to the war, expressing the hope that “the inspiration of Easter may strengthen everyone defending Ukraine,” and voiced confidence in victory over evil.

Later, the reference to the “Muscovite obscurantism” was removed from the text.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that DESS had congratulated Ukrainians on Passover.

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