Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida condemned the vote as “an unlawful act that is the grossest violation of the basic principles of freedom of conscience and human rights”. Metropolitan Klyment, spokesman for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, told Suspilne it has “always acted within the limits of the law” and would seek to “defend the fundamental constitutional right to freedom of conscience and religious belief”.

In Kyiv, believers were praying outside the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, where the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was formerly based. “There’s no politics here. We just come and pray for our children and our loved ones… I’ve never seen any KGB agents,” said 56-year-old Svetlana, who declined to give her surname, referring to allegations of сollaboration with security services. In a lilac dress and matching headscarf, Svetlana said she had been baptised and married in the church and worried about its potential full closure. “If they close, people will still pray in the streets, maybe we’ll put up tents, there will be prayers anyway,” Svetlana said.