Ukraine sanctions pro-Moscow clerics

Ukraine has imposed sanctions on 10 senior clerics linked to a pro-Moscow church.

According to a statement by Ukraine’s security services, the 10 clerics had variously agreed to cooperate with occupation authorities, promoted pro-Russian narratives and justified Russian military aggression in Ukraine.

“The Security Service of Ukraine continues to carry out comprehensive work on the protection of Ukrainian statehood and will continue to expose persons who threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” it said.

The announcement is the latest in a series of steps against a Ukrainian branch of the Orthodox Church linked historically to Moscow. The Orthodox Church in Russia itself backs the war.

The sanctions, which last for five years, will freeze the assets of those on the list, block them from exporting capital from Ukraine and prevent them from owning land.

Most of the clerics – all either members of the church or closely linked to it – live in territories controlled by Russia or are abroad, the service said.

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The Ukrainian branch formally severed ties with the Russian Orthodox Church last May but is still mistrusted by many Ukrainians and accused of secret cooperation with Russia.

The security service has also carried out several raids on parishes and buildings linked to the church, which says it has always followed Ukrainian laws.

Orthodox Christians make up the majority of Ukraine’s 43 million people. Since the collapse of Soviet rule, competition has been fierce between the Moscow-linked church and an independent Ukrainian church proclaimed soon after independence.

Zainab Sa’id