Yelensky to EEA head: Critics of Ukrainian freedom of religion work for RF
The head of DESS complained about attempts to discredit the Ukrainian authorities due to the infringement of religious freedom.
On June 23, the Head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) Viktor Yelensky held a meeting with the Secretary General of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) Jan Wessels, during which they discussed religious freedom in Ukraine. This was reported by the DESS press service.
Yelensky assured Wessels that, "despite the war, Ukraine strives to maintain high standards in the field of religious freedom".
The report stated that "the parties discussed large-scale and well-funded attempts by Russian propagandists, diplomacy, and special services to discredit Ukraine in the international arena as an alleged violator of freedom of conscience and religious human rights". The specific individuals discussed were not mentioned in the report.
"The parties agreed that such attempts are aimed not only at weakening the support of Ukraine by the global European community but also at whitewashing Russia," the DESS press service says.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that, according to Yelensky, the destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church cannot be considered a violation of religious freedom.
