On December 18, 2025 the Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine hosted a thematic event titled ‘Interfaith Dialogue: Cooperation in Countering Russian Narratives and Promoting the De-occupation of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine,’ organized by the MFA jointly with the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience.
The event brought together Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Olha Kuryshko, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience Viktor Yelensky, members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, leaders of Ukrainian religious communities, as well as experts on religious freedom and de-occupation, including Metropolitan Yevstratiy of Bila Tserkva of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Klyment of Simferopol and Crimea of the OCU, Supreme Mufti of Crimea Ayder Rustemov, Mufti of the RAMU "Umma" Murat Suleymanov, President of the Congress of Muslims of Ukraine Seyran Aryfov, Senior Bishop of the Ukrainian Pentecostal Church Anatoliy Kozachok, Archpriest Oleksa Petriv, Head of the Department of External Relations of the UGCC in Ukraine, Vice President of the All-Ukrainian Union of Evangelical Christian Baptists Churches Ihor Bandura, Deputy Supreme Mufti (Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine) Rustam Gafuri and Director of the Department of Religious Freedom at Eurasia Mission, Presbyter of the Evangelical Christian Church ‘Grace’ Mykhailo Brytsyn.
In her opening remarks, Deputy Minister Mariana Betsa noted that amid Russia's ongoing full-scale war, the aggressor country continues its attempts to instrumentalize religion for its criminal purposes. One of the MFA's key tasks on the international stage is to convey to the international community the truth about gross violations of freedom of religion or belief in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
"Ukrainian churches and religious organizations play a special role in countering Russian occupiers' attempts to destroy our religious diversity and Ukrainian spiritual tradition. Their motivation and energy in defending our state's interests on international platforms and informing the international community about the devastating consequences of Russian occupation for the rights of Ukrainian clergy and believers are an important component in restoring just and lasting peace," Mariana Betsa stated.
Participants discussed issues related to international advocacy for the de-occupation and reintegration of temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, state-confessional partnership in protecting freedom of conscience during Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and cooperation between government authorities concerned and religious community leaders to neutralize manipulative Kremlin narratives about the state of freedom of religion in our country.
An exchange of views took place on optimizing systematic advocacy and information-awareness efforts to enhance understanding among relevant human rights organizations, expert communities, and the broader international public concerning the actual state of religious freedom in Ukraine, including in territories temporarily occupied by Russian forces.
Participants also discussed specific details related to advocacy for the protection and promotion of the freedom of religion in Ukraine within international organizations - the UN, CoE, OSCE, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (Article 18 Alliance).