Dumenko discusses countering hostile influence in spiritual life with PO head
The heads of the OCU and the Presidential Office touched on state-church relations and “spiritual security” in wartime.
On March 7, 2026, OCU head Epifaniy Dumenko met at his residence with Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. According to the structure’s press service, the two discussed the religious situation during the war, state-church relations, and “countering hostile influences in the spiritual sphere.”
Also present at the meeting was Kostiantyn Kholodov, head of the HUR chaplaincy service. Earlier, Kholodov said that Budanov is an OCU parishioner who “never misses a single service” and regularly receives Communion together with his wife.
At the same time, Budanov’s religious activity points to his broad outlook. Three days before visiting Dumenko, he marked Purim with Kyiv’s Jewish community, delivering greetings and congratulatory remarks.
A little earlier, Budanov and Zelensky also joined Muslims at a mosque for iftar during Ramadan.
