Restoring Truth and Justice: UOJ Pushes Back Against Defamation Abroad

Since its founding in Ukraine in 2014, the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ) has been under constant attack and slander. These attacks have intensified since the UOJ decided to establish a series of local bureaus and correspondents — such as our own here in the States, and those in Albania, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, the Czech and Slovak Republics, and on Mount Athos.

The reason for these attacks is simple: the UOJ steadfastly defends the canonical Church, especially the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) under His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv, which remains recognized as the canonical church by all local Orthodox Churches.

However, the enemies of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, having no legitimate criticism to level against the journalistic work and ministry of our Union, monotonously repeat the slander that we serve "Russian interests" and are funded by Moscow. Naturally, no evidence is ever presented, nor could it be, because, as we have repeatedly stated, no such dependencies exist.

We recognize, of course, that behind these publications lies the propaganda of the Ukrainian Security Services, while their reproduction by European media is, in most cases, done not with particular ill intent but with inexcusable carelessness and without the necessary verification of facts.

Recent Incidents in Cyprus and Greece

Two notable incidents recently occurred in Greek-speaking media:

Cyprus, June 6, 2025: On the OMEGA TV program Aixmes (ΑΙΧΜΕΣ), journalist Aristidis Viketos claimed the UOJ is driven by Russian interests and aligned with Moscow's agenda. The UOJ responded on June 10 with a public statement titled “Why the UOJ Takes Slanderers to Court,” once again emphasizing that our Union has no connection or dependence on Moscow and, of course, does not serve any Russian interests. On the contrary, the Union has repeatedly condemned Russia's war against Ukraine and the relevant positions of both the political and ecclesiastical leadership in Moscow. The statement also outlined the principles and values supported and served by the UOJ. Additionally, it declared the Union's firm decision to defend, even before the courts, the honor and dignity of the Union and its members from such defamatory references.

Following this, Mr. Viketos sent a formal retraction via email, stating that he had no intention of defaming the UOJ, fully accepted its values and principles, and acknowledged his statement was erroneous. 

Mr. Viketos's full statement is as follows:

"To the Editorial Committee of the UOJ,

Gentlemen,

I have carefully read the publication 'Why the UOJ Refers Slanderers to Justice' - Confession of Faith - Union of Orthodox Journalists and I assure you that there was never, nor is there now, any intention on my part to slander you.

I accept what you have written in the publication regarding your principles and values and declare that my claim was mistaken.

Therefore, I believe there is no reason for any dispute between us.

In collegial spirit,

Aristidis Viketos"

On June 27, 2025, journalist Sotiris Paroutis, also on Aixmes, read Viketos’s retraction on air (timestamp 2:25-4:00) affirming that both Viketos and the program accepted the UOJ’s clarifications and principles, and that the claim of Russian influence was unfounded.

"We wish to make a clarification. On this program, Aixmes, on June 6, 2025, during a discussion regarding the case of the former Metropolitan of Paphos, Tychikos, Aristidis Viketos made a reference to the website of the Union of Orthodox Journalists, stating that there is apparently Russian influence.

Mr. Aristidis Viketos has sent us a statement, which we are reading now, stating that the Editorial Committee of the Union of Orthodox Journalists pointed out to him that his remarks were unfounded and that there is no relationship between the Union of Orthodox Journalists and Russian interests.

There is no reason for either Aristidis Viketos or this program to question the assurances of the Editorial Committee regarding its principles and values, which Mr. Viketos recognizes. He also acknowledges that his claim was mistaken, retracts it, and explicitly states that he had no intention of slandering or defaming the Union of Orthodox Journalists.

This is a statement from our colleague Aristidis Viketos, who appeared on the program as a guest regarding the Tychikos case. This clarification is necessary, as we do not wish to leave unjust shadows or insinuations toward anyone, especially when they are not substantiated."

Greece, June 4, 2025: The religious blog, called Anastasios, reposted an article from uaorthodox.com titled "Attacks Against the Ukrainian Church: External Influences and Internal Decay," which repeated the familiar slanderous claims of Ukrainian propaganda, labeling our Union as being directed by Moscow and working on behalf of its interests.

We reached out directly to the blog administrator. As a result, the article was deleted, our protest was posted, and the blog administrator expressed regret for having published the uaorthodox.com article.

The UOJ accepts the above statements from the journalists, recognizing that there was no malicious intent on their part to slander our organization and work, but that they fell victim to the propaganda of the Ukrainian regime. Zelensky's government cannot tolerate opposition nor the exposure of the grave crimes it has commits against the faithful and sacred places of the Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) — the only canonical Orthodox Church on Ukrainian soil, recognized as such worldwide.

At the same time, we declare that we will not tolerate slanderous accusations that undermine the journalistic work and credibility of the Union of Orthodox Journalists and its members. The UOJ remains committed to defending the truth and integrity of its work — whether through public clarification or legal recourse when necessary.

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