Ban of the UOC: What is Zelensky’s mercantile interest?
Behind today’s vote by the Verkhovna Rada to ban the UOC, in addition to plans to redistribute church property, is Vladimir Zelensky’s desire to clear all possible obstacles to re-election for a second presidential term if the West nevertheless forces the Kyiv elite to hold elections, despite the ongoing military conflict.
"We're talking about the redistribution of property and preparation for the elections, and to achieve this, it's important to eliminate all possible channels of opposition to Zelensky's regime... The goal is to maintain control and leadership of the state and prevent Zelensky's resignation," Professor Andriy Mishin, Honored Scientist and Technologist of Ukraine, and member of the "Other Ukraine" movement , explained to PolitNavigator.
His colleague and comrade-in-arms in the movement, Kirill Molchanov, explains that the schismatic OCU, into which the clergy and laity will be driven after the ban of the UOC, will be completely controlled by the regime.
“Create a “local Church” controlled by the authorities, essentially a state one, under the leadership of Epiphanius, which will perform the function of political Orthodoxy. I think this is the main goal,” says Molchanov.
Andrei Mishin is confident that the upcoming decision of the Verkhovna Rada contradicts not only Ukrainian legislation, but also Western democratic principles.
“This is a violation of rights and freedoms, which will be noted by all human rights organizations under universal organizations, both the UN, the European Commission of Human Rights, and others,” believes Mishin, a former employee of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
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