Kremlin calls Ukrainian ban on branch of Orthodox Church an attack on freedom of religion

Reuters:  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Tuesday condemned a move by Ukraine to ban a Moscow-linked branch of the Orthodox Church, describing it as an attack on Christianity and a blow to freedom of religion.

Ukrainian lawmakers voted last week to ban the Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which Kyiv has accused of abetting Moscow's 30-month-old war by spreading pro-Russian propaganda and harbouring spies.

"The Kyiv regime, unfortunately, continues to show its true nature. This is an open attack on freedom of religion, an attack on the Orthodox Church as a whole, and an attack on Christianity," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

A majority of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians but the faith is split between the UOC and an independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, recognised by the world Orthodox hierarchy since 2019.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has hailed last week's vote as a step to strengthen Ukraine's "spiritual independence" and signed it into law.

The UOC began to distance itself from Russia after Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a special military operation, and denies it has links with "foreign centres."

But criminal proceedings, including treason charges, have been launched against dozens of its clerics angering the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church.