2026/01/01 by Dmytro Vovk, Elizabeth A. Clark, Elizabeth A Clark
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Religion and Society Interactions #Religious Tourism and Spaces #Media, Religion, Digital Communication
paper · doi:10.1093/jcs/csag045
Abstract The article explores Ukraine’s religion–state relations under the presidency of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The sixth Ukrainian president came to power with no explicit religious agenda and no interest in developing one beyond celebrating religious diversity in Ukraine. This approach has changed dramatically since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy has become significantly more attentive to religion and frequently refers to Ukrainians’ religiosity and the important role religion plays in their lives. In response to Russia’s utilization of religion to justify the aggression against Ukraine, Zelenskyy has promoted the concept of Ukraine’s spiritual independence, requiring all Ukrainian religious organizations to sever any ties with Russia under the threat of being banned by the state. Zelenskyy’s swift transition to a more securitized approach to religion, infused with theological arguments, has become possible in part because his personal views on religion have not changed much. He perceives religion as a political matter and a rhetorical tool rather than a spiritual experience. But Zelenskyy’s irreligiosity has also set natural boundaries on state interference during his presidency, which so far has mostly been limited to the negative aspect of state interference (the elimination of the Russian influence on and via Ukrainian religions and their believers). A positive religion–state program, however, may emerge once Zelenskyy’s personal irreligiosity is removed from the equation, either by the sixth Ukrainian president himself under political pressure or by a successor more interested in religious affairs.