Ukrainian President Zelenskyy signs into law ban on religious groups tied to Russia

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday signed into law a ban on religious organizations tied to Russia.

The status of the bill, posted on the website of Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has been updated with a statement saying it has been returned with Zelenskyy’s signature.

The bill seeks to “make it impossible” for religious organizations with management located outside of Ukraine in a state that “exercises armed aggression against Ukraine” to operate in the country, according to the bill’s explanatory note.

Parliament approved the second reading of the bill on Tuesday with 265 votes in favor.

Afterwards, Zelenskyy said they will continue “strengthening Ukraine and our society,” calling the legislation “a law on our spiritual independence.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it signaled the "destruction of true Orthodoxy at the root."

Speaking on Russian state-owned Zvezda TV, Zakharova accused Ukraine of trying to create a "false church" to replace the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate split from Moscow in May 2022 following Russian Patriarch Kirill's blessing for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which began that March.

However, it is still labeled “pro-Russian” by Kyiv and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.​​​​​​​

- Rome Statute ratified

On the same day, Zelenskyy also signed a bill ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) into law, after parliament passed a bill to that effect on Wednesday.

The draft bill, proposed by Zelenskyy himself on Aug. 15, aims to align Ukraine’s Criminal Code with the Rome Statute.

The explanatory note for the bill highlighted the need to harmonize Ukrainian criminal law with international standards, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the bill’s passage by parliament "another significant step toward joining the EU."

The 1998 statute established the ICC based in The Hague.

In March 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin, alleging he was responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of children from occupied areas of Ukraine.