Religious Transformation of Crimea Amid Geopolitical Changes: From Pluralism to Totalitarian Control (2000–2026)

Authors

• Volodymyr Zuikov, Mykhailo Dragomanov Ukrainian State UniversityFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

orcid.org/0009-0001-7858-8997

Abstract

This article analyzes the radical transformation of the religious landscape of the Crimean Peninsula in the context of geopolitical changes and “hybrid warfare.” I conduct a comparative analysis of two chronological periods: the stage of Ukrainian sovereignty from 2000 to 2013, which was characterized by a high level of religious pluralism and interconfessional peace, and the period of Russian occupation from 2014 to 2024/2026, which was marked by a transition to a rigid hierarchical system of control. The scholarly novelty of the study lies in its detailed reconstruction of the mechanisms of the “hybrid absorption” of Protestant communities, including Baptists, Pentecostals, and Adventists. It is demonstrated that the Russian authorities used a strategy of institutional substitution, displacing Ukrainian religious centers with Russian unions that became conduits of the state policy of the Russian Federation in the occupied territory. The article systematizes, for the first time, data on the repressive policy toward the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), and the Muslim community. The study analyzes the occupation administration’s use of legislative instruments, particularly the “Yarovaya package,” to marginalize religious organizations that preserve Ukrainian identity, as well as the criminalization of religious dissent through accusations of terrorism. Special attention is given to the role of the Moscow Patriarchate in creating the ideological foundation for the annexation and to its subsequent status as the main beneficiary of the monopolization of Crimea’s spiritual space. The conclusions emphasize that the transformation of the religious sphere became an instrument of political assimilation and the destruction of the peninsula’s unique multicultural identity.

Recommended Citation

Zuikov, Volodymyr (2026) "Religious Transformation of Crimea Amid Geopolitical Changes: From Pluralism to Totalitarian Control (2000–2026)," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 46 : Iss. 6 , Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2229.2836
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol46/iss6/5