There is no turning back once the Church is banned
Some believe that if the Church complies with the DESS directives, it will be left alone. But recent political events have shown: it won’t.
On July 17, 2025, DESS published an official order for the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC to eliminate alleged “violations of the law on freedom of conscience and religious organizations.” The Church is required to comply with all of the State Ethnopolitics directives concerning alleged “ties with Moscow” by August 18.
Sure, each of Yelensky’s agency’s demands can be reviewed point by point. But considering some of the latest political developments in Ukraine, there's something even more important we should focus on.
A telling political analogy
Latest news: the government came down hard on Ukraine’s anti-corruption system. On July 21, 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office carried out a “special operation to neutralize Russian influence on NABU” (the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine).
Fifteen employees were subjected to searches, with physical force applied in certain cases. The result: one NABU officer was detained because his father allegedly holds Russian citizenship and sells industrial hemp to Dagestan, and his mother reportedly receives a pension from the so-called "DPR".
The media and social networks widely promoted the operation under slogans like “treason”, “Russian agents in Ukrainian institutions”, and so on.
The next day, an even more powerful special operation took place: within a single day, the law that effectively bans (renders null and void) NABU and SAP (the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office) was passed, signed, and published. They were officially subordinated to the Prosecutor General’s Office but actually controlled by the President’s Office. The guarantor of the Constitution spoke late at night and declared, “The anti-corruption infrastructure will continue to function – only without Russian influence, from which it must be thoroughly cleansed. And there must be more justice.”
A standard move in today’s Ukrainian reality: if you want to remove your opponent, accuse them of working for Russia. Without facts, without proper evidence. Just accuse, stir up a hype and you’re free to ban.
What Russian influence is there in NABU? Everyone knows perfectly well that the entire anti-corruption system was created by Western countries to keep the post-Maidan Ukrainian government under control. It was established with Western grants and with Western-appointed leadership in these bodies. The “grant-eaters” claim that the anti-corruption system is a democratic achievement of the Maidan. Others argue that it is a limitation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. In any case, the influence there is solely Western, not Russian. But if Zelensky were to call for cleansing NABU of Western influence, would that work?
Logic of authoritarianism
What do all these political conflicts have to do with the UOC ban? The point is that the similarities in both methods and the nature of what’s happening cannot be overlooked. Let’s recall how the current stage of persecution against the UOC began. Back in late 2022, there was a large-scale SBU raid – only targeting monasteries and eparchial administrations. As a result, they collected some laughable “evidence” like old issues of Russian House magazine and launched a massive PR campaign to defame the UOC. Eventually, a law was passed banning the country’s largest denomination, which is now being enforced. And all this under the very same slogans: “to cleanse Ukraine of Russian influence.”
There hasn’t been any Russian influence in the UOC for a long time, but if the authorities honestly said, “We are destroying the UOC because it refuses to merge with the OCU and become a state church,” would that have worked? But under the “Russian influence” label, all work!
Zelensky’s evening address on July 22, 2025, was significantly delayed. In fact, it ended up being a nighttime message. The intrigue was heightened by reports about the president signing the law effectively banning the activities of NABU and SAP, which appeared and then disappeared. Many political analysts believed that under pressure from the U.S. and Europe, which actually controlled the anti-corruption bodies, Zelensky would back down and refuse to sign the law.
But the law was signed nonetheless. This is the logic of building an authoritarian regime. It does not retreat to avoid showing weakness. It must move forward, even if it comes with significant costs, even if it leads to its own disastrous end (authoritarian regimes always end badly). Yes, under pressure, Zelensky soon introduced a new bill that supposedly nullifies the previous one. But since the Rada is going on recess, this move looks more like a “military trick”.
A similar situation applies to the persecution of the UOC. It has long been clear that the persecution of the UOC is dividing Ukrainian society and causing far more harm than any “benefit” the authorities hoped to gain from destroying the UOC. Yet the authorities can no longer stop, even if it ultimately leads to the collapse of their power. Such is the logic of authoritarianism. Authoritarian rulers not only violate the Constitution and laws of their country, not only disregard the rights of their citizens – they also make decisions that ruin the country. All on the altar of their own power.
Therefore, it is wrong to think that DESS will be satisfied if the UOC complies with its directives. More about the directives themselves can be found in the article: “DESS Directives: A Decisive Step toward Banning the Church?”
If the authorities acted within the framework of the law based on what benefits the country, perhaps it would make sense. But the authorities act according to the logic of authoritarianism, focused on consolidating their own power. Within that logic, they will not tolerate any independent bodies or elements of civil society.
It doesn’t matter whose influence the anti-corruption institutions are under. It doesn’t matter whether they do more harm or good to Ukraine. What matters is that they are not controlled by the President’s Office. The same logic applies to the UOC. It is not dependent on the Ukrainian authorities, it refuses to follow their directives, and it maintains its own point of view. Therefore, it must be eliminated. That is its “guilt”, which no compromise or compliance with DESS directives can wash away.
Where is the way out?
But none of this is a reason for despair. On the contrary, it is yet another reason to be convinced of the truth of the Christian faith and the reliability of the Gospel. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ spoke about to His disciples. In the Sermon on the Mount, He says: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12).
Persecution and slander are presented here as something “normal” for the disciples of Christ, something that is to be expected. The Lord sent His disciples into the world to preach the Gospel, but He also warned them: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a witness to them and the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:16–18).
Nowhere in the Gospel does it say that the outside world will be friendly to Christians, or that Christ’s followers will be honored and respected.
At times, you may hear from various preachers (especially Protestant ones) that if you believe in Christ and begin to live according to His commandments, all your problems will be solved, everything in your life will fall into place, and you will live joyfully and happily. But the Holy Scriptures say quite the opposite: “My child, if you come to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation” (Sirach 2:1).
The Apostle James calls believers to rejoice when their faith is tested: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2).
The Apostle Peter urges believers to treat trials as something entirely normal: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).
And the Apostle Paul summarizes all of this with a clear statement: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:12–13).
Our consciousness is built in such a way that it demands justice: the wicked must be punished, and the good must prosper. But in this earthly life, everything turns out the opposite. This is exactly what we see today in the attitude toward the UOC and all its faithful members. Monasteries and parishes buy cars, medicines, and everything necessary and send them to our warriors on the front lines, yet they are called “Moscow priests”. And nowhere can one find protection or justice – not in the courts, nor law enforcement agencies, nor in public opinion. But the Lord spoke about this very thing two thousand years ago: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Here is the indication that a Christian should seek protection and consolation in earthly sorrows, especially in persecutions for Christ’s name. Peace can be found only in Christ.
Someone may ask: beautiful words, but how to live them out in practice? And in life, they are embodied only by those who resolve not to yield to temptations and trials but to remain faithful to Christ and His Church, no matter what. This is known by experience, which is almost impossible to describe in words. Saint Theophan the Recluse has a very good thought: “The difference between those who stand and those who fall is in one thing – some have resolved and hold fast to their resolve, while others do not resolve.”
Yes, today in Ukraine one should not expect to find truth and justice in worldly institutions; a person finds themselves defenseless before the arbitrariness of “evil people and impostors” who “go on from bad to worse”. But it is precisely in such times of trial that the true strength of faith and the genuine meaning of church unity are revealed.
History shows that the Church has endured even stronger persecutions. The first Christians in the Roman Empire, the Orthodox under the Turkish yoke, believers during Soviet times – all of them went through the fire of trials and not only preserved their faith but also passed it on to the next generations. The secret of their endurance was not in compromises with the authorities, but in faithfulness to Christ and the Gospel.
Today, for every UOC believer, the time to choose has come: to give in to pressure and seek easy ways, or to remain faithful to their convictions despite difficulties. This choice is made not only in eparchial administrations and monasteries but also in every parish, every family, and the heart of every Christian.
