Orthodox Church Explainer: Russian propaganda resurfacing
The Russian misinformation campaign concerning religious freedom for the Orthodox Church in Ukraine has come back to the forefront over the past week.
This Russian government has promoted this issue, mainly in Right-wing outlets for the past several years. The misinformation resonates since it pretends to focus on issues of religious persecution, which many Americans are sympathetic to.
Additionally, it is confusing since it involves 2 Ukraine Orthodox Church: one under the Kyiv Patriarch, one under the Moscow Patriarch.
In order to understand the issue, please see these resources. Though each get into the weeds a bit, they provide clarity to the issue.
Law and Liberty Trust:
Rebuttal to claims by Robert Amsterdam
Analysis of Ukraine Law on Religious Org
Steven Moore: on the Russian Church as Influence Operation
Short video: Faith Under Siege: Ukraine’s Christians vs Putin’s Church
News update around this issue:
The Hill reported about planned visit by the Members of the Russian Orthodox Church and their lobbyists with the White House Faith office.
Thank you, Joe Wilson, R-SC, for sending an official letter to AG Bondi highlighting the connections of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Russian Army and its role as “vehicles for intelligence collection or foreign influence operations directed at U.S. policymakers”.
Tucker Carlson also interviewed Robert Amsterdam on his show last week, which brought the issue to a wider audience.
Robert Amsterdam is a paid lobbyist for Vadim Novitsky. Novitsky was an odious figure close to Putin. He seized control of several key businesses in Ukraine under Yanukovitch. He is now esconed in a Russian Church Monastery in Zurich. He is funding this campaign.
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Note: Disinformation is hard to dislodge. Information and facts help, but sometimes are not enough on their own.
Sadly, expect to see this talking point repeated often in more conservative spaces in the near future.
Also, I think it is fair to criticize the Hill for its headline: the Faith Office is set up to meet faith leaders. The headline seemed to imply “support” or a meeting with open arms. The statement from the Office was more milquetoast “The Faith Office regularly meets with advocacy groups and religious leaders upon request to discuss issues related to faith in our country and around the world”