OP chief: Classifying UOC as part of Moscow Patriarchate is manipulation
Kyrylo Budanov commented on the situation with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at a briefing.
The chief of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov during a briefing at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on April 9, 2026 spoke out against a forceful solution to the church issue.
Responding to a journalist's question regarding the small number of "transitions" from the UOC, Kyrylo Budanov interrupted her, noting that adding the suffix "MP" to "Ukrainian Orthodox Church" is manipulation.
The OP chief emphasized that the name UOC is a fact. "The suffix 'MP' was removed from the UOC," he said.
Budanov highlighted that in Ukraine the Church is separated from the state and spoke out against interference in the religious sphere.
"One cannot rush here. Doing something by force in the spiritual aspect has never, in any state, brought results," he added.
As the UOJ reported, the Presidential Office chief hopes for a major Easter prisoner swap.
