Russia’s assault on Ukraine unfolded along military, economic and diplomatic lines. Vladimir Putin’s Moscow also is waging a less-noticed war on Ukraine’s religious sovereignty. To understand this, look at the structure of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The church consists of 14 autocephalous, or self-governing, churches. Religious and national identities often overlap, as in the Orthodox Churches of Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia. Each national church falls under a particular patriarchate, and the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople is considered first among equals.
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Michael Khodarkovsky: Russia wages a religious war against Ukraine
Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate Filaret, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, his wife, Maryna Poroshenko (C) take part in a march during religious processions marking the 1030th anniversary of the Day of Baptism of Kyivan Rus, on July 28, 2018, in Kyiv.
