Church–State Relations in Ukraine

A 2024 Ukrainian law on religious organizations and national security has sparked heated debate at home as well as criticism abroad, amid warnings of an illiberal drift. This article situates the law within Russia’s full–scale invasion and the accompanying “Russian world” ideology, and assesses its purpose, content and projected effects. A doctrinal analysis of the statute suggests that its adoption through transparent legislative procedures is primarily intended to sever a key conduit for the expansionist doctrine. The study disentangles legal terms that have been misrepresented in public discussion, distinguishing the “termination” of an organization’s legal personality (worship is still permitted) from the far more severe “cessation of activities”. It finds that enforcement is court–centred, protected by multiple levels of appeal, and aimed at institutional affiliation rather than theology. Methodologically, it examines the legal text alongside a snapshot of contemporary Ukrainian Orthodoxy identifying the continuing threat posed by the spread of the “Russian world” narrative. While technical refinements to the law may be necessary, the article concludes that generally speaking Ukraine’s approach is consistent with international human rights law, mirrors solutions recently adopted in neighbouring states, and stands in sharp contrast to the documented closures, confiscations and violence inflicted on faith communities in Russian–occupied territories.