Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-8054-6737,
0000-0002-8266-6310
Abstract
A comprehensive historical and religious studies analysis of the evolution of Church- state relations, repressive practices, and transformations of cultural memory in Ukraine from the Soviet era to contemporary wartime challenges. The mechanisms of Soviet "spiritual genocide" as an institutional prelude to the Holodomor are examined, accompanied by the destruction of religious infrastructure, confiscation of property, and deprivation of legal status of religious communities. The formation of the contemporary Ukrainian model of Church- state relations, which is grounded in the principles of religious pluralism, partnership, and the separation of Church and state as a direct antithesis to state-imposed totalitarian atheism. Drawing on empirical and statistical data, the article reveals the revival of Soviet totalitarian methods by the Russian Federation's occupation authorities in the temporarily non- government-controlled territories of Ukraine. Ultimately, it demonstrates that under conditions of hybrid and full-scale aggression, the protection of freedom of conscience and the deconstruction of imperial-Soviet narratives have become part of the national and humanitarian security of the state.
Recommended Citation
Fesenko, Andrii and Lukovenko, Illya
(2026)
"Faith Between Coercion and Freedom: Religious Policy, Repressions, and Cultural Memory in Ukraine from the Soviet Era to the Present,"
Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 46
:
Iss.
10
, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2229.2929
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol46/iss10/5