President Zelensky, Religion, and the War
Dmytro Vovk
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Date:听Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Time:听12 - 1pm
Location:听Boisi Center, 24 Quincy Road, Conference Room听听
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The relations between the Ukrainian state and religion have always been heavily personalized. Since independence, they have been determined not so much by constitutional protections or legal regulations and procedures but more by religions鈥� political connections and their ability to transform these connections into benefits and advantages on Ukraine鈥檚 highly competitive religious market. This has made personal religious attitudes and preferences possessed by key political actors, and, first of all, by the Ukrainian President, extremely important for the model of the country鈥檚 religion-state relations.
Volodymyr Zelensky鈥檚 presidency is not an exception from this personalized pattern and, at the same time, is unique in terms of the core ideas behind his approach to religion. Since his election in 2019, Zelensky seems to have made an impressive religio-political journey from no religious agenda to the heavy involvement in inter-Orthodox relations since the beginning of Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion.
In his lecture, Dmytro Vovk will explain why and to what extent Zelensky's personal and political approach to religion and religions has changed and what it means for the Ukrainian model of religion-state relations.
Dmytro Vovk is a visiting professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the New York School of Law where he teaches constitutional law, international human rights, and law and religion. Vovk has been a rule of law, constitutional law, and religious freedom expert for several international institutions. In 2019鈥�2025, Vovk was a member of the OSCE/ODIHR Expert Panel on Freedom of Religion or Belief. He also testified before the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and briefed the U.S. State Department. He has published extensively on religious freedom and church-state relations in post-Soviet countries and beyond. Among his recent publications are the volume Human Dignity, Judicial Reasoning and the Law (Routledge 2024); the volume 鈥淔reedom of religion and gender equality across the OSCE region鈥� for the Review of Faith and International Affairs听(2022); and the volume Religion During the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict (Routledge 2019). Vovk edits the BYU Law International Center for Law and Religion Studies blog 鈥淭alk About: Law and Religion blog.鈥�
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Konstantin Skorkin wrote an article for the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center titled ,鈥� which discusses the domestic and international consequences of Ukraine鈥檚 recent ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOCMP). The UOCMP was established in 1990 under the cardinal jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, and it is the largest Church in Ukraine. In 2018, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was established under the cardinal jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. There were initially hopes that these two churches would merge; however, Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine polarized the issue, causing the churches to move further apart. Although not interested in pursuing religious policy prior to the war, in 2023, President Zelensky introduced a law to the Verkhovna Rada banning Russia-linked religious groups. The law passed in 2024. The law creates a nine-month transition period during which the UOCMP can either merge with the OCU or find a way to distance itself from Moscow. However, the OCU faces problems internationally, as it has not been recognized by the Orthodox churches of NATO countries, such as Romania and Bulgaria. Ukraine鈥檚 reversal on religious policy and subsequent ban of the UOCMP has faced international criticism, including from Pope Francis. Some worry that the religious crackdown could set a precedent of sacrificing religious freedom in the name of national security. However, others acknowledge that the UOCMP has been used as a tool of the Kremlin to meddle in other countries鈥� affairs. In his luncheon colloquium, Dr. Dmytro Vovk will discuss why Zelensky's political approach to religion has changed since the invasion and the consequences for the future of religion-state relations in Ukraine.听