Church сonflicts in Ukraine are not particularly bloody, DESS head says
Seizure of the UOC cathedral in Cherkasy. Photo: UOJ
The conflict between Orthodox Christians in Ukraine is neither particularly deep nor bloody, according to Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), who made the remarks in an interview with the History Without Myths YouTube channel.
"When we read about some extraordinarily deep, bloody, or intense conflict between Orthodox Christians in Ukraine, that simply isn't the case," he said.
According to the official, the situation cannot even remotely be compared to the conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland.
He cited a study involving 13,000 respondents that he claimed showed relations between ordinary UOC and OCU believers to be "absolutely normal." He also referred to surveys conducted by the Razumkov Center and SOCIS, according to which only 8% of Ukrainians report religious tensions.
"Overall, the situation among Orthodox Christians is far from dramatic," Yelensky concluded, although he acknowledged the existence of "accumulated grievances" and "long-standing stereotypes."
The DESS head also said that parish transfers to the OCU have not stopped but continue to take place "every week." According to him, the overwhelming majority occur without conflict.
He cited Pervomaisk in Mykolaiv Region and Sedniv in Chernihiv Region as examples.
As previously reported by the UOJ, on October 17, 2024, OCU supporters seized St. Michael's Cathedral of the UOC in Cherkasy. UOC clergy and parishioners who were inside the church were injured during the takeover.
Similar forcible seizures of UOC churches involving OCU representatives and local authorities have occurred in various regions of Ukraine.
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