Ukraine's ambassador to US responds to congresswoman concerned about fate of Christians in Ukraine
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States, has responded to recent statements by Anna Paulina Luna, the controversial Republican member of the US House of Representatives, who claimed that Christians are being persecuted in Ukraine and said she would contact the State Department after receiving an appeal from MP Oleksandr Dubinskyi, who is suspected of treason.
Source: European Pravda
Details: Stefanishyna mentioned on X (Twitter) that the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States is always ready to provide fact-based information. In particular, she noted that more than 30,000 religious organisations are registered in Ukraine, many of which would not be able to operate in Russia. She said that only the church with links to Moscow speaks of persecution.
"From 2022 to 2025, 1,378 religious communities decided to change their canonical and organisational subordination. It's their right. Some communities are divided; those tensions are exploited by Russian propaganda. Ukraine is a democracy; all disputes will be resolved through the courts," Stefanishyna said.
She stressed 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 under trial: those claims do not withstand even basic fact-checking. In the entire Ukrainian penitentiary system, there are around 34,600 inmates. There are no political prisoners. As a state in war, Ukraine works to hinder the activities of persons acting in the enemy's interests," Stefanishyna wrote.
On 9 January, Anna Paulina Luna said on X that she plans to contact the Vatican in response to information "from Ukrainian Orthodox members, as well as members of their own government" about the "persecution of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians".
"American tax dollars should not be going to a government that is responsible for persecuting and obstructing Christians trying to worship God. The Vatican has a responsibility to ensure that they are educating the international community on what is happening across the world, specifically with regard to Christian persecution," the congresswoman said.
She also reported that she would contact the State Department after receiving a letter from MPs Oleksandr Dubinskyi, Artem Dmytruk and Oleksandr Kunytskyi, in which they claimed that in Ukraine the "number of political prisoners has already exceeded 42,000, along with the criminal prosecution of 400,000 Ukrainian men who refused to go to frontline and fight". "Priests, journalists, and people who openly advocate for peace are already being held in prisons," the controversial MPs claimed.
It should be added that in 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on Dubinskyi. This occurred at the end of Donald Trump's first term in office.
It is also worth noting that Anna Paulina Luna is known for having met with Kirill Dmitriev, a special envoy of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. She has also introduced legislation proposing US withdrawal from NATO and voted against aid packages for Ukraine.
Recently, she said that she had invited four deputies of Russia's State Duma to Washington for a meeting with members of Congress on "peace negotiations".
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