网曝吃瓜

On March 31, 2026, the Boisi Center welcomed Dmytro Vovk of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. His lecture, titled 淧resident Zelensky, Religion, and the War,� provided a thorough overview of historic religion-state relations in Ukraine and how they have shifted under Zelensky leadership.听

Vovk began his lecture by providing the historical background on Ukraine model of religion-state relations. He noted that while most post-Soviet states adopted liberal religious laws following the collapse of the Soviet Union, over time, many states shifted their laws to heavily regulate religion. By contrast, Ukraine stood out in the region by maintaining its post-Soviet liberal religious laws, not requiring religious organizations to register with the state. However, he also noted that the reason for Ukraine religious freedom is not necessarily legal or constitutional, but rather rooted in political and religious diversity in the country. That being said, generally presidents� personal views and political considerations do influence the power of certain sects, albeit not enough to fully suppress any religious group.听

Zelensky entered the political realm as a secular candidate, offering no religious agenda beyond promoting Ukraine religious diversity. He grew up in the most secular region of Ukraine in a Jewish family. Publicly, as president, he rarely referenced religion and showed little interest in attending religious festivals. However, these secular attitudes have shifted since the outbreak of the war. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many people within the country began calling for a ban on the historically Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox church. Although initially silent on the matter, Zelensky opinion changed in the fall of 2022 when he endorsed the ban, leading to the subsequent adoption of a law banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2024. The law also established a court procedure to ban Ukrainian organizations affiliated with Russia. These laws have expanded the role of the state in regulating religion, fundamentally altering Ukraine's long-existing model of religion-state relations. Beyond this, Zelensky has drafted a new religious law to shift Ukraine to a more cooperative model of religion-state relations. This classical cooperative model would include provisions such as funding for certain religious schools, while establishing more state control over religious denominations. Thus, despite entering office as one of the most secular presidents, Zelensky is leading the country to a new model of religion-state relations.听

Towards the end of the lecture, Vovk engaged with questions from the audience. One audience member asked whether the ban of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church resulted in a significant confiscation of assets and if the state relocated these assets to provide support for social institutions like hospitals or schools. Vovk noted that, unlike the Catholic Church, the Orthodox religion does not operate many schools or hospitals, as it views its main goal as preserving national spirituality. Nevertheless, the branch does lease church buildings from the government, meaning that leases for up to three thousand church buildings will not be renewed if the law goes through. Overall, Vovk provided an in-depth reflection on Ukraine historical model of religion-state relations and gave an important account of how this has changed under Zelensky leadership and as a result of the war.听