The role of the religion factor in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Abstract

The urgent challenges and threats that have arisen before Ukrainian society since February 24, 2022 have actualized the issue of the need to highlight the specifics of the religious background in Russia's open full-scale war against Ukraine. It is emphasized that the full-scale invasion became a serious test, radically transformed the system, forms and methods of functioning of Ukrainian society, and radically changed the paradigm of the socio-political and religious life of Ukraine. The role of the religious component of the war is revealed. It is proven that the Russian Orthodox Church is an important instrument of Russian aggression in Ukraine, a conductor of neo-imperial, racist, xenophobic and anti-Christian ideologies. The concept of "Russian world" and the significance of this ideological construct in the Russian-Ukrainian war are investigated. It is proven that the main lobbyist of these ideologies in Ukraine is the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has recently been represented in the Ukrainian religious environment with the prefix “Moscow Patriarchate” in its name. The author emphasizes the importance of de-occupying the spiritual space of Ukraine from the so-called Russian Orthodox ideologies, which are imposed with the aim of erasing the Ukrainian nation from the political map of the world. The conclusions are drawn that ties with the Russian Federation should be severed in all spheres of life of Ukrainian society, primarily with religious organizations that are associated with the aggressor.

The purpose of the study is to study the role of the religious factor in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Analysis of recent research. The study is based on information obtained from a number of primary sources on the Internet - official news websites, websites of church institutions, the official Internet representation of the President of Ukraine, data from the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, and the Security Service of Ukraine.

The legislative acts of Ukraine on the relevant issues were analyzed, and the results of monitoring a number of analytical articles in online publications were used.