“Olga Stefanishyna responded to Luna’s accusations of persecution of Christians and political prisoners in Ukraine.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: “European truth”
Details: Stefanishyna stated in her X profile that the Embassy of Ukraine in the USA is always ready to provide information based on facts. In particular, she noted that over 30,000 religious organizations are registered in Ukraine, many of which cannot operate in Russia. According to her, only the church with ties to Moscow talks about persecution.
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“From 2022 to 2025, 1,378 religious communities decided to change their canonical and organizational affiliation. This is their right. Some communities are divided; these tensions are used by Russian propaganda. Ukraine is a democratic state; all disputes will be resolved in court,” Stefanishyna said.
She emphasized that the activities of the Russian Church pose a direct threat to Ukraine’s national security, as it publicly supports the war.
“Regarding the letter from the person who is on trial: these statements do not withstand even a basic fact check. There are about 34,600 prisoners in the entire Ukrainian penitentiary system. There are no political prisoners. As a state at war, Ukraine works to prevent the activities of persons who act in the interests of the enemy. But everyone has the opportunity to defend themselves in court,” wrote Stefanishyna.
On January 9, Anna Paulina Luna told X that she plans to contact the Vatican in response to information “from members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as well as members of their government” regarding the “persecution of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians.”
“American tax money should not go to a government that is responsible for persecuting and hindering Christians who are trying to worship God. The Vatican has a responsibility to inform the international community about what is happening in the world, particularly regarding the persecution of Christians,” the congresswoman said.
She also informed that she would turn to the State Department after receiving a letter from People’s Deputies Oleksandr Dubinsky, Artem Dmytruk and Oleksandr Kunytsky, in which they stated that in Ukraine “the number of political prisoners has already exceeded 42 thousand” and “400 thousand Ukrainian men who refused to go to the front and fight are subject to criminal prosecution.” “Priests, journalists and people who openly advocate for peace are already being held in prisons,” said the odious People’s Deputies.
We should add that the USA imposed sanctions on Dubinsky in 2021. This happened at the end of Donald Trump’s first term.
It is worth noting that Anna Paulina Luna is known for meeting with the special representative of the Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Kirill Dmitriev. She also registered the draft law, which provides for the withdrawal of the United States from NATO, and voted against aid packages for Ukraine.
The other day, she announced that she had invited four deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation to Washington for a meeting with members of Congress regarding “peace negotiations.”