This is another disinformation narrative about USAID’s activities and religious freedom in Ukraine. The agency made no attempt to influence the attitude of Ukrainians towards the Moscow Patriarchate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, nor did it finance projects that could contribute to this.
After funding for USAID’s international programs was frozen, Russian media outlets are spreading yet another disinformation as part of a campaign aimed at discrediting the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This time, at the behest of Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, propaganda claimed that USAID allegedly participated in the destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP). According to Zakharova, USAID funded the Center for Economic and Political Research, which allegedly «published sociological studies that contained false indicators of public support for the schismatic church.»
This is another disinformation narrative about USAID’s activities and religious freedom in Ukraine. The agency in no way influenced the attitude of Ukrainians towards the UOC-MP, nor did it finance projects that could contribute to this. Zakharova mentions the Razumkov Center in her speech, which is considered one of the most credible sociological organizations in Ukraine. The Center is primarily working on analytical reports, articles, and sociological studies that help assess the attitude of Ukrainians to various situations and problems. The Center’s research is used in the analysis of many international organizations, embassies, and state policy, including.
The Razumkov Center regularly conducts research on religious freedom and the church-religious situation in Ukraine. These studies include sociological monitoring of the population’s religious levels, analysis of public trust in different churches, and the study of public opinion on the role of religion in society. For example, in 2022, the Razumkov Center published a study that emphasized that the emergence of religious conflicts in Ukraine is unlikely, despite the diversity of religious beliefs among citizens. It is also worth noting that the Center’s research on religion was most often implemented with the help of the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Ukraine.
Before the suspension of funding, USAID collaborated with the Razumkov Center in Ukraine, in particular, within the framework of projects that contribute to civil society development and the improvement of the country’s political situation.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry responded to criticism of the law that allegedly bans the UOC-MP in the country — the aforementioned law does not ban any of the churches that exist in Ukraine.
«It only does not allow the subordination of religious organizations in Ukraine to leadership centers located in a state that has committed or is committing armed aggression against Ukraine and/or temporarily occupied part of its territory, as well as religious organizations that support armed aggression against Ukraine,» the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Previously, StopFake also refuted other fakes that Kremlin propagandists spread to claim violations of religious freedom in Ukraine in the stories Fake: On Zelensky’s Order the Metropolitan of the UOC-MP Is Tried for Loyalty to the Church, Fake: In Lutsk Stolen Church of the UOC-MP To Be Converted Into a Laundromat, Fake: Orthodoxy Banned in Ukraine.
