“Russian propaganda”: Dumenko responds to Vance’s defense of UOC

JD Vance. Photo: Open sources

In an interview with Radio Liberty, Serhiy Dumenko, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), commented on statements by US Vice President JD Vance concerning the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). According to Dumenko, such criticism is allegedly fueled by Russian propaganda promoted in the United States for money.

The interviewer reminded Epifaniy that Vance had spoken about violations of religious freedom in Ukraine and asked what contacts the OCU currently maintains with the US administration. Noting that Dumenko had met twice with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Donald Trump’s first term, the journalist asked how the OCU communicates its position to the conservative wing of American politics.

Dumenko did not name a single meeting with representatives of the current administration. “We cooperate, we travel, we participate in various events, and we bear witness to the truth, because Russian propaganda is actually trying to infiltrate everywhere,” he replied.

Dumenko then claimed that UOC leaders in the United States “hire lobbyists and prominent lawyers for large sums of money.” He initially cited UOC Protodeacon Vadym Novynskyi as an example, but the interviewer had to correct him. The OCU head eventually named UOC attorney Robert Amsterdam and journalist Tucker Carlson.

“In other words, there are powerful mouthpieces that are essentially spreading all this Russian propaganda for money. And someone who hasn't fully understood the situation could, of course, get the wrong impression,” he said.

In effect, Dumenko placed the US vice president among those who, in his view, had failed to understand the situation and fallen under the influence of “paid” propaganda. The OCU head provided no evidence that Carlson receives money for expressing his views.

Dumenko then repeated his claim that “there is no persecution whatsoever in Ukraine” and that the country enjoys “complete freedom of religion.” Immediately afterward, however, he added that “wearing a cassock does not shield anyone from accountability” and said that Ukrainian courts are currently handling “hundreds of cases” against UOC clergy.

He did not explain why these “hundreds of cases” involve clergy from just one Church or how this squares with his claims of “complete freedom.”

Recall that in April 2024, while serving as a US senator, Vance called it a disgrace that Washington had failed to use American aid to Ukraine as leverage to secure guarantees of religious freedom while Ukrainian authorities were preparing legislation to ban the UOC.

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