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- Leaving temples: Russian Foreign Ministry insists on repeal of anti-Russian laws to achieve peace
Leaving temples: Russian Foreign Ministry insists on repeal of anti-Russian laws to achieve peace
In Ukraine, there is another escalation around the church: two churches of the UOC were forcibly seized the other day. At the same time, the restoration of the rights of the church is one of Russia's demands in the context of a peaceful settlement. In general, denazification implies the removal of discriminatory laws, including regarding freedom of faith in Ukraine, Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large for crimes committed by the Kiev regime, tells Izvestia. However, this point is not in the plan, which was presented by Vladimir Zelensky on December 24, allegedly after discussions with the United States. The oppression of the Russian-speaking population continues. Where the Ukrainian settlement is heading and what reaction to expect from Moscow is in the Izvestia article.
Churches are being seized in Ukraine
Ukraine is once again resorting to barbaric methods of struggle. Recently, two cases of forcible seizure of churches of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) by supporters of the schismatic structure "Orthodox Church of Ukraine" (OCU) were recorded.
On December 22, a group of raiders seized a church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the city of Chigirin, Cherkasy region. The raid was led by the self-proclaimed "OCU chaplain" Nazari Zasansky, with the support of about 50 people in military uniforms. The locks were cut off with a grinder. The next day, a similar incident occurred in the village of Chechelievka, Kirovograd region. OCU raiders forcibly seized the Intercession Church of the UOC Diocese of Alexandria, also cutting off the locks on the doors despite the fact that the building was sealed by court order. The church remained closed for three years, and parishioners prayed at its walls.
Kiev's pressure on the canonical UOC began back in 2014. After 2022, the situation has noticeably worsened: Supporters of the OCU began to forcibly seize churches and evict monks more and more often. Two years later, Vladimir Zelensky signed a law according to which the canonical UOC was given nine months to completely sever ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, despite its statements about its complete independence from the Russian Orthodox Church and its condemnation of the actions of the Russian army. In 2025, court hearings on the issue of the UOC ban began, but the case was repeatedly postponed, after which the trial was postponed indefinitely. The UOC filed a counterclaim for the cancellation of the order recognizing affiliation.
The fight against everything that is somehow connected with the Russian Federation continues on all fronts. In the country, for example, they are moving away from traditional holidays. So, on December 24, it became known that instead of Christmas on January 7, Programmer's Day will now be celebrated in Ukraine. The decision of the authorities demonstrates the madness of the political strategists who created it and expresses contempt for the Orthodox majority of the population, said Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy chairman of the Synodal department of the Moscow Patriarchate for church-society relations and the media.
The rights of the Russian-speaking population are also stubbornly restricted. In December 2025, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law excluding Russian from the list of languages subject to protection under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The document was supported by 264 deputies, which made it possible to remove the status from Russian, which previously provided him with special guarantees.
Earlier, Ukraine imposed fines for the use of the Russian language in the service sector, education and the media. It is practically excluded in schools. The Commissioner for the Protection of the state language in the country, Taras Kremen, reported in May 2025 that no more than 345 schoolchildren study or study Russian in Ukraine. History is being deliberately distorted, monuments to joint political figures are being demolished, and the use of Russian symbols is prohibited.
Peaceful settlement: latest news
The Russian Foreign Ministry previously called the restoration of the rights of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine one of the conditions on which Russia is ready to discuss guarantees of Ukraine's security. In addition, in June, the head of the department, Sergey Lavrov, stated that Moscow intends to continue to seek the full restoration of the rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine as one of the key factors for achieving a sustainable settlement of the conflict.
In general, denazification implies, among other things, the removal of laws discriminating against the Russian-speaking population, Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large for crimes of the Kiev regime, told Izvestia.
— When we talk about denazification, we are talking about the removal of discriminatory laws regarding the use of language and freedom of faith. All these are things that are being escalated by the Ukrainian side today for one purpose — just, let's say, to change or replace people's self—identification," he believes. — Therefore, when we talk about eliminating the root causes of the conflict for the sake of long-term regulation, such things as the persecution of the native language should be excluded. Russian Russian means the elimination of discriminatory laws on the Russian language, and the prohibition of speaking, studying in Russian, and so on.
Even recent opinion polls show that, contrary to pseudo-legal prohibitions, in everyday life a huge number of people continue to speak Russian and use it fully in their daily lives, Miroshnik stressed.
Russia and the United States are currently continuing negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement. In early November, the Donald Trump administration released a 28-point draft peace plan. The document provided for significant concessions from Kiev, including territorial compromises, renunciation of NATO membership and limitation of the size of the armed forces.
Later, including during consultations in Geneva with the participation of American, Ukrainian and European representatives, the plan underwent significant changes. With the active role of European partners, Kiev actually rejected a key aspect of the original American initiative — territorial concessions beyond the line of contact.
With European support, the sides worked on an updated version of the ceasefire agreement. In Berlin, representatives of the United States and the EU agreed on two documents detailing security guarantees for Ukraine. According to sources in The New York Times, the priority condition is to reduce the number of Ukrainian Armed Forces in peacetime from about 900,000 to 800,000 people, while strengthening the Ukrainian army with the help of the European Union and the United States. However, the Russian Federation emphasized that all sorts of adjustments to the peace plan do not add anything good.
Negotiations also took place last weekend in Miami. Washington's representatives discussed the peace plan separately with the Russian and Ukrainian sides. On December 24, Vladimir Zelensky revealed 20 points of what he said was a document being discussed with the United States. It still provides for the nuclear-weapon-free status of Ukraine, the confirmation of its sovereignty, the exchange of prisoners, security guarantees, and also preserves controversial issues such as the status of troops in Donbass and territorial issues.
The Kremlin did not comment on the publication of Kiev's version of the peace plan. "I have already answered this question, so I see no point in repeating myself," said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation. Earlier, he stressed that Moscow does not consider it advisable to "conduct some kind of communication through the media" on this topic.
It cannot be ruled out that this peace plan is another Zelensky trick, Roman Kovalenko, chairman of the executive committee of the international movement "Another Ukraine", told Izvestia. It is worth noting that in this regard there is no mention of the UOC, as well as the protection of the rights of Russian-speaking citizens.
— Now it is difficult to believe that Zelensky can allow people to pray freely, go to their churches, speak their own language and adhere to those values that have long been important to Ukrainians. Zelensky's regime has destroyed history, family values, writers, composers, artists, and so on," the expert says.
In general, it is possible to fully restore the rights of the church and the Russian-speaking population only in the case of a complete change not only of the current government, but also of the foundations on which it was formed, the expert concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
