Ukraine’s ambassador to U.S. tells congresswoman why authorities target UOC

Olha Stefanishyna. Photo: TSN

Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, publicly responded to statements by Republican US Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who had earlier accused the Ukrainian authorities of persecuting Christians of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

On her account on the social media platform X, Stefanishyna said the Embassy of Ukraine is “always ready to provide fact-based information” and set out several such “facts” regarding the alleged persecution of the UOC.

“With deeds, not words, Ukraine fosters a diverse religious landscape. We have over 30,000 registered religious organizations, many of which cannot operate in Russia. Only the one with ties to Moscow speaks about persecutions,” the ambassador wrote.

She also said that parish “transfers” from the UOC to the OCU are voluntary, and that any tension arising in the process is simply “exploited by Russian propaganda”. “Ukraine is a democracy; all disputes will be resolved through the courts,” Stefanishyna assured.

At the same time, she tied the authorities’ actions against the UOC to what she described as security concerns. “The activities of the Russian Church pose a direct national security threat. It is the Church that publicly supports war. Ukrainian law does not restrict religious beliefs, worship, or doctrine; it prohibits the ties with this organization,” the diplomat claimed.

Stefanishyna did not clarify what the UOC has to do with the Russian Church’s stance on the war in Ukraine.

Earlier, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said she intends to raise the issue of the persecution of Christians in Ukraine at the international level. In her post on X, she emphasized that she considers what is happening unacceptable.

“American tax dollars should not be going to a government that is responsible for persecuting and obstructing Christians trying to worship God,” she said. “We are seeing Christian persecution happening actively and documented in Ukraine. I look forward to the response and will be sharing what the Vatican says regarding the matter, but this is something that the entire international community should be condemning, regardless of Christian denomination.”

As the UOJ reported, on January 8, 2026, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, in an exclusive comment to the editorial team, said that Volodymyr Zelensky is waging war against his own people over faith, and promised to take action against the violent seizures of churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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