Professor of KNU: Ukrainians in the EU go not to Catholics, but to the ROC
According to Rena Marutyan, refugees choose the Russian Orthodox Church due to the inability of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to carry out its activities abroad.
In the European Union, a unified network of Russian influence has been identified, in which the "church channel" serves as its main backbone. This was stated by Rena Marutyan, Director of the Institute of National Resilience and Security and professor at Kyiv National University, at a presentation for Ukrinform. According to her, refugees choose the ROC due to the inability of the OCU to open parishes abroad.
"We have determined that there exists a unified network of Russian hybrid influence on Ukrainian communities abroad, consisting of six channels," said Rena Marutyan. "The structural backbone of this network is the church channel, which unites many components: education, legal assistance, and psychological support."
The researchers emphasize that refugees, especially Russian-speaking natives of the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, do not turn to the Uniates or Roman Catholics. "According to Article Four of the Tomos, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine does not have the ability to open its parishes in Europe," the researcher noted.
Therefore, Ukrainian refugees — who are often Russian-speaking natives of the southern and eastern regions — do not go to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church or the Roman Catholic Church, but instead go to the Russian Orthodox Church." In the professor's view, for many compatriots abroad this is connected to the inertia of habit and a sense of the "sound of home."
As the UOJ reported, Dumenko discussed the "destructive influence" of the UOC abroad with diplomats.
