Zelensky has gone Poroshenko’s way in UOC issue: who is directing him?

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko built his election campaign for his second term almost entirely on a religious platform. Almost a year before the election, Poroshenko's fellow party members were busy preparing the ground for the legalisation of the then-Kyiv Patriarchate and the UAOC. Letters from MPs were sent to the Phanar and delegations of politicians travelled there. Anti-church laws were passed in the Verkhovna Rada, and media rhetoric became more aggressive towards the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with each passing day.

It seemed to Poroshenko's supporters (and opponents of the UOC) that everything was being done right, and the slogan "Army. Language. Faith" backed by the Tomos from the Phanar, will surely lead the "hetman" to victory.

We can recall how tough Petro Poroshenko talked about priests and the entire UOC during his election campaign. Then his statements shocked the faithful, but, according to various opinion polls, they were allegedly warmly supported by the public. Who prepares such polls and how – it does not matter because almost always their task is to please the customer. It would seem that the Tomos should have unequivocally convinced the voter that it was Poroshenko who should become president, especially since his opponent, Volodymyr Zelensky, was completely inexperienced in politics.

Zelensky was humiliated, insulted and ridiculed by Poroshenko. Representatives of the OCU and the UGCC also did this. Suffice it to recall dozens of publications from the OCU "priest" and the Poltava deputy from the "ES" Alexander Dediukhin. This attitude was dictated by the fact that from the very beginning Volodymyr declared his neutral position towards the Church. For Zelensky, it was not a means of political manipulation. He said that faith is an intimate matter and the state has no right to interfere in religious matters.

As we know, Poroshenko lost the election. He lost for a simple reason – his "army-language-faith" policy did not get popular support. And to a large extent, it was the "faith" that was a decisive factor here. People were fed up with politicians meddling in the affairs of the Church, and so they voted for someone who, in their view, would not do so. At least, that's what it seemed at the time.

And indeed, having become President, Zelenskyy for a very long time maintained neutrality and did not touch religious issues. And although he was often forced to change his position, Zelensky did not do it. Moreover, even when the war had already started, his advisor Mykhailo Podoliak stated that the ROC and the UOC are different Churches and that the UOC "has already made all decisions that would benefit Ukraine. Parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk voiced similar things. And Podoliak directly said that any laws against the UOC would cause internal conflicts in the country.

Then, however, things suddenly changed dramatically.

First Zelensky said that he wanted to better understand church issues and named Viktor Yelenskyi as his advisor on the matter. Then Mykhailo Podoliak said that the UOC priests are "FSB agents in cassocks". In unison with the politicians' words, searches began in UOC eparchies, and some bishops and priests received not only suspicions of "anti-state activities" but also fell under the sanctions of the National Security and Defence Council. On top of that, there was the registration of other anti-church bills and a video about the UOC published by “Quarter 95” on its YouTube channel.

It is worth examining in more detail. Because Ukrainian society has never known so much trash, cynicism and anger toward the Church. It can only be compared with the Soviet period. Back then, the journal "Bezbozhnik" (“Non-Believer”) was published with caricatures of the clergy, "denunciatory" articles appeared in the press, and films were shown on cinemas and TV about priests being "liars", "obscurants" and "counter-revolutionaries”. Now, the video from "Quarter 95" provoked only one question: have those times really come back? However, even in the USSR, there was nothing that the "Q95" comedians allowed themselves.

Obscene swearing (!) towards "Moscow" priests, obscene jokes below the belt and "humour" of the level of street thugs – it all looks incredibly disgusting. There can be nothing like that in any democracy. But the most unpleasant thing is that this "funny" video was made by people whom everyone associates with Zelenskyy.

So what happened? Why did the authorities start repression (and there is little doubt that they did it) against the UOC?

An explanation for everything that is happening was given by MP Max Buzhansky, who put forward the assumption that Poroshenko's party has decided to crush the "Servant of the People" and is using very simple tactics to do so. A quote:

"The essence of this tactic is simple. The ES introduces a loud and very radical resolution in the spirit of its former, Poroshenko's army-language-faith trend, and begins desperately demanding its immediate consideration, calling in advance any delay in this matter, let alone refusal, a betrayal of national interests.

Time and again, the ‘Servant of the People’ cannot find the strength to refuse in principle nor can it even ignore it, remembering that its electorate had voted categorically against the ES, whatever the issue was. To get out of this situation, which should never have been entered at all, the SP usually introduces its own, even more radical, bill to show who is really holier than the Pope on any issue. And votes for it, wiping the nose of European Solidarity and mashing it up to its own electorate.

Earlier, the ruling party wiped its feet over the voter in the language issue, later in a number of issues related to the historical memory, and now, judging by the agenda, it is preparing to trample it in the church issue. Because banning the UOC is precisely banning the very Church that the SP voter goes to, which they will absolutely never forgive.”

Banning the UOC is precisely banning the very Church that the SP voter goes to, which they will absolutely never forgive.
Maxim Buzhansky

And indeed, if you look at what is happening, it turns out that Buzhansky is absolutely right and Zelensky has simply been set up. For example, Viktor Yelensky, the President's "advisor" on religious issues, in addition to being born in the Tuva region of the Russian Federation (where Shoigu is from), is known for having been in the parties of Yulia Tymoshenko, Arseniy Yatseniuk and, in the recent elections, in Groysman’s party. Besides, Yelensky was also noticed in the PR of Petro Poroshenko (the famous photo of Yelensky's grandchildren with "Uncle Petro" and "Auntie Maryna").

That is, people who push the President and his entourage to fight with the Church, have never supported the President himself. He is a stranger to them. And very likely their task is to do everything for the fiasco of the "Servant of the People" party in the forthcoming elections. They know very well how to do it – to go against the Church. This is the very path that led to the defeat of Yushchenko and Poroshenko. Which means that it will also lead to Zelensky's defeat. The "porokho-bots" have no doubts about this because they know that the Church is people. A lot of people. Banning it will achieve nothing but protests and, ultimately, defeat. In addition, the Church is the heart of the Ukrainian people. To insult it, to humiliate it means to humiliate the people.

And the people certainly will not forgive that.