Cabinet reappoints Yelensky as DESS head

DESS head Viktor Yelensky. Photo: nfront.org.ua

On March 15, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine appointed Viktor Yelensky as the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience. This was reported by the government representative in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnychuk in his Telegram channel.

Yelensky's term of duty was set to expire on March 26, 2024.

Viktor Yelensky is a deputy of the VIII convocation from the party "People's Front", a former advisor to Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in 2014, and later was part of Volodymyr Groysman's party list.

Yelensky is a well-known adversary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the "father of the law on 'transfers' of communities", and one of the authors of anti-church laws adopted by the Poroshenko government.

As reported by the UOJ, earlier, an American lawyer for the UOC stated that "before Mr. Yelenskyi's tenure as the Head of State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Affairs, the UOC was guaranteed the right to practice their faith free from harm and harassment, but with his arrival, all this changed."

Read also

Nebraska Pilgrims Pray at Gravesite of 'Apostle to the Plains'

Fr. Nicola Yanney - considered a saint by many in the Midwest - was the first priest ordained by St. Raphael of Brooklyn and reposed in 1918 after ministering to those suffering from Spanish Flu.

Estonian Parliament Overrules President, Moves to Ban Orthodox Church

Committee Chairman Ando Kiviberg defended the bill, prioritizing national security over religious freedom, though no specific threat from the church was cited. 

UOC Bishop Warns of 'God's Wrath' Over Forced Mobilizations

“War will pass," Met. Luke said. "But we must all live with its consequences. And our children, too."

Mel Gibson Begins Filming 'The Resurrection of the Christ'

Gibson has long described The Resurrection as the most significant project of his career, underscoring its personal and artistic importance.

God Created Our Universe, Claims Bulgarian Scientist - And Offers a Wager

Valentin Velchev offers a bottle of premium cognac to any scientist who can refute his scientific proof for the existence of God.

5th-Century Christian Church With Mosaic Found in Turkey

A newly uncovered inscription at the church entrance reads: “Only those on the righteous path may enter here.”