UKRAINE’S OTHER CONFLICT.

The article focuses on the complex religious conflict in Ukraine centered around the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a significant Orthodox Christian site and UNESCO World Heritage Site. It outlines the tensions among three main Orthodox Churches in Ukraine: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) (UOC-MP), the latter being linked to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Ukrainian government’s efforts to diminish Russian influence through legal measures and property disputes, including the eviction of UOC-MP monks from Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, have raised concerns about religious freedom and internal divisions. Olena Bodgan, former Minister of Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, opposed harsh crackdowns on the UOC-MP, warning that repression could drive loyal believers underground and exacerbate tensions, a stance that led to her dismissal. The article highlights the ongoing struggle over religious identity in Ukraine amid the broader conflict with Russia.