Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country’s religious communities have been at the forefront of reinforcing national morale, providing crucial humanitarian relief and making the moral case for Ukraine’s sovereignty. With Russian missiles falling on religious sites and occupying forces preventing some churches from operating, Ukraine’s religious leaders have also emerged as important voices for promoting freedom of religion and belief.

The US Institute of Peace, the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and Razom for Ukraine host a conversation with a delegation from the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. These senior Ukrainian religious leaders — who represent multiple branches of Christianity in Ukraine in addition to the country’s Muslim and Jewish communities — will highlight the various roles that religious groups and organizations have played as part of Ukraine’s war effort. They will also share personal experiences from the frontlines and discuss the challenges of navigating religion’s complex intersection with the war.

Opening remarks

Peter Mandaville
Senior Advisor, Religion and Inclusive Societies
US Institute of Peace

Speakers

Yevstratiy (Zoria)
Metropolitan of Bila Tserkva;
Spokesman
Kyiv Metropolis;
Deputy Head, Department for External Church Relations
Orthodox Church of Ukraine

Yaakov Dov Bleich
Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine;
Founder and President
Union of Jewish Religious Organizations of Ukraine

Ivan Rusyn
Deputy Senior Bishop
Ukrainian Evangelical Church

Akhmed Tamim
Supreme Mufti of Ukraine;
Head of the Religious Administration of Ukrainian Muslims

Moderator

Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine

Closing remarks

issue spotlight

The Eurasia Center’s mission is to promote policies that strengthen stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.

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