On 29 January 2025, the delegation of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) met in London with the Eastern Research Group of the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith.

During the meeting with the Eastern Research Group, representatives of Ukrainian churches and religious organizations provided an in-depth analysis of the inhumane ideology of the "Russian world", the fusion of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Putin regime, and the Kremlin's use of religious institutions as a weapon to advance its geopolitical goals. They explained how the Russian Orthodox Church, Protestant groups, Muslim centres and other religious organisations in Russia are being exploited to promote a neo-imperial project centred in Moscow - a so-called "last stronghold of Christianity" where there is no place for Ukraine or other independent Central and Eastern European nations.

Metropolitan Yevstratiy said: "One of the fundamental reasons for Russia's aggression against Ukraine is the Kremlin's ambition to impose a neo-imperial project - a modern incarnation of the medieval myth of Moscow as the so-called 'Third Rome'. The Moscow Patriarchate plays a key role in this project, having actively formulated and promoted the ideology of the 'Russian World' that lies at the heart of Russia's current aggressive policy. It is well documented that the Moscow Patriarchate essentially functions as a state institution, using religious rhetoric as a facade to advance ideological goals. It is a tool of hybrid warfare, and the international community must recognise it as such and expose its use of the Church for war propaganda".

Ukrainian religious leaders answered numerous questions from analysts and made recommendations on how to counter Russia's hybrid warfare against the democratic world.

During their meeting with the UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief, David Smith, UCCRO representatives shared Ukraine's experience of inter-religious dialogue and cooperation, highlighting the role of the Council of Churches and other inter-religious organizations. They emphasized that Ukraine continues to uphold religious freedom despite the challenges of war.

The Ukrainian delegation drew attention to religious persecution and war crimes committed by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. They also spoke of how Russia is reviving a distorted version of the Soviet regime based on the nationalist ideology of the 'Russian world'.

Pastor Anatoliy Raychynets said: "We lived through the communist regime of the USSR, where there was no place for believers. My grandfather and father were persecuted by the Soviet authorities for their faith in God and their service to the Church. My grandfather, an evangelical pastor, was imprisoned for nine years because of his faith. As a child, I remember KGB agents raiding our home, searching for and confiscating Bibles and religious books. Today, in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the 'Russian world' has arrived - a mutated ideology that leaves no room for free people and true believers. Churches have been confiscated for military use, services banned, clergy tortured and executed. This is what the 'Russian World' brings. As spiritual leaders who care about people's lives, we ask for help - Ukraine needs weapons and all the support it needs to enable its defence forces to protect children, women and all civilians. The Russians have come to kill Ukrainians".

David Smith asked the UCCRO delegation to provide him with regular updates on religious persecution and crimes committed by Russia. He assured them that, as Special Envoy for Religious Freedom and a Member of Parliament, he would use his position to advocate for the protection of the rights of believers in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.

At the end of the meeting, the UCCRO delegation presented David Smith with a symbolic painting. The painting depicts Jesus Christ praying against the backdrop of the Irpin Bridge, the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital and the Kramatorsk railway station, with the words

"I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one". (Bible, Gospel of John 17:15).

Earlier in the day, the UCCRO delegation also met with members of the British Parliament from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief.