Ivano-Frankivsk deputies demand Verkhovna Rada ban UOC

A session of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council. Photo: Suspilne

In Ivano-Frankivsk, city council deputies have addressed the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and the heads of political groups and factions, demanding the second reading and adoption of bill 8371, reports Suspilne.

Deputy Yaroslav Dubas read the appeal, which was supported by 31 deputies. The letter expressed support for legislative initiative 8371 and claimed that the Rada is deliberately delaying its adoption.

"It is evident that there are attempts not to make a decision. This indicates either a directive 'from above' or that there are adherents of the Russian Church among the people's deputies who are blocking this decision. Some deputies are using their mandate to protect and promote the interests of the aggressor state. Such actions, in particular, manifest in the sabotage of bills aimed at protecting Ukraine's national interests," the document states.

Local deputies insist that the ban on the UOC is a matter of principle, as "the Moscow Patriarchate has been used for decades as a tool of influence on the internal affairs of our country. Through propaganda and disinformation spread by its representatives, there is a danger of destabilizing society and undermining state sovereignty," the deputies wrote.

As reported by the UOJ, deputies of the European Solidarity faction in local councils are being sent letters with instructions on how to initiate extraordinary sessions at the local level to consider appeals to the Parliament's deputies, demanding they vote for bill No. 8371, de facto banning the UOC.

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