Amsterdam & Partners LLP: Ukrainian Court Ruling and Presidential Office Remarks Support Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Undermine Attacks by Andriy Yermak on Political Opponents

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amsterdam & Partners LLP, as international counsel to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and associated supporters, welcomes recent legal and political developments in Ukraine that have fundamentally undermined the central justification used by Ukrainian authorities to persecute the UOC and its supporters.

Last month, Ukraine’s Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal annulled the conclusions previously endorsed by the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), which alleged subordination of the UOC to the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church. That finding had formed a cornerstone of attacks on the Church.

The significance of the ruling is reinforced by recent remarks from Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky, acknowledging that it is “a fact” that the UOC had removed references to the Moscow Patriarchate. Budanov further stated that the state should not interfere in the internal affairs of the Church.

These remarks are particularly significant given that the campaign against the UOC occurred most prominently under the leadership of Mr. Budanov’s predecessor, Andriy Yermak, whose office oversaw and promoted policies directed against the Church and its supporters. During that period, clergy were detained, churches were raided, sanctions were imposed on religious figures, and public rhetoric increasingly portrayed the UOC as a hostile force. Mr. Yermak instead backed a rival Orthodox faction closely associated with the government. Mr. Yermak has since been indicted on corruption charges, further demonstrating the political motivations behind the scapegoating of the Church during his tenure.

These developments come amid continuing international concern regarding the treatment of individuals associated with the UOC.

Most recently, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in a unanimous decision, expressed “grave concern” regarding allegations that Member of the Ukrainian Parliament Artem Dmytruk was tortured by agents of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in March 2022. The IPU also welcomed the refusal by Westminster Magistrates’ Court to extradite Mr. Dmytruk to Ukraine and raised concerns regarding intimidation, death threats, and interference with his parliamentary mandate.

At the same time, media outlets friendly to Ukrainian authorities have intensified attacks against Vadim Novinsky—a prominent supporter of the UOC sanctioned by Russia for his support of Ukraine—including allegations published in recent reports accusing him and Orthodox networks in Europe of acting as instruments of Russian influence. These allegations continue despite the growing contradiction between the Ukrainian government’s longstanding narrative concerning the UOC and the findings now emerging from Ukrainian courts, officials, and international institutions themselves.

Robert Amsterdam, Founder and Managing Partner of Amsterdam & Partners LLP, states:

“For years, Ukrainian authorities have attempted to portray the UOC as an instrument of Moscow in order to justify extraordinary measures against clergy, believers, parliamentarians, and public figures associated with the Church. That narrative is now collapsing under the weight of Ukraine’s own institutions.

“Ukrainian courts have annulled the key administrative finding often used to justify these actions, while the head of the Ukrainian presidential office himself has publicly acknowledged that the UOC is not subordinate to Moscow.

“International bodies have expressed grave concern about torture, intimidation, and political persecution directed against those connected to the Church. Nonetheless, the campaign against the UOC and its supporters has not entirely ceased.

“It is therefore clear that we are witnessing a political campaign directed against a religious community and those associated with it.”

Amsterdam & Partners LLP is an international law firm specialised in political advocacy and human rights, based in London and Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.amsterdamandpartners.com. Media inquiries may be directed to [e-mail].