What happened? The National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to submit to the Verkhovna Rada a draft law “on preventing the operation of religious organisations affiliated with centres of influence in the russian federation on the territory of Ukraine in accordance with the international law in the field of freedom of conscience and obligations of Ukraine due to the accession to the Council of Europe” within 2 months.
Source. The decision of the NSDC, which was put into effect by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Details. The NSDC decision was adopted on December 1, the same day the President approved it. It also provides for a number of other instructions. In particular, the Government is instructed to resolve issues related to the functions and status of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, to ensure “verification of the existence of legal grounds and compliance with the conditions of use of property located on the territory of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve by religious organisations” within two months.
The State Service is instructed to ensure within two months the religious examination of the Management Statute of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church “for the presence of a church-canonical connection with the moscow Patriarchate and, if necessary, to take measures provided for by law.”
The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police as well as other bodies responsible for ensuring national security were tasked with “intensifying measures on identifying and counteracting subversive activities of russian special services in the religious environment of Ukraine.”
The NSDC also supported the proposal of the SBU to apply personal special sanctions on persons that are to be listed, the list has not been published yet.