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Religious persecution in Ukraine 'cannot be ignored' — US congresswoman

On December 8, Luna said the US government should stop supporting Ukraine because of Kiev’s actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

WASHINGTON, December 17. /TASS/. The Washington administration should not ignore facts of religious persecution in Ukraine, Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican member of the US House of Representatives from Florida, said.

"The persecution of Christians under [Vladimir] Zelensky cannot be ignored," Luna wrote on X. She added that she was "honored" to take part in a campaign with a "delegation from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church" (UOC) to draw attention to infringements of religious freedom in Ukraine. "The US must defend Christians and stand for religious liberty, not bankroll religious persecution," she added.

On December 8, Luna said the US government should stop supporting Ukraine because of Kiev’s actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Persecution of the UOC began in Ukraine after the 2014 coup during the presidency of Pyotr Poroshenko, who is listed by Russia’s Federal Service for Financial Monitoring as a person involved in extremist activities or terrorism. Local authorities have deprived the UOC of the right to lease land under churches, while supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) have forcibly seized UOC churches and attacked priests. Law enforcement agencies have charged UOC clergy with treason and other crimes and imposed sanctions against them.

On August 29 this year, Ukraine’s State Service for Ethno-Politics and Freedom of Conscience, acting under a law initiated by Zelensky and adopted last summer, filed a lawsuit seeking to ban the UOC and transfer its property, funds, and assets to the state.

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