Four-fifths of Ukrainians support ban of Russia-linked church in poll

FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian serviceman attends an Orthodox Easter service in the town of Kostiantynivka, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near a front line in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 5, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - Four-fifths of Ukrainians said they supported a new law banning Russia-affiliated religious groups in a survey released on Tuesday, as Kyiv seeks to root out a branch of the Orthodox Church accused of cooperating with Moscow, which is waging war on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which counted 6% of the respondents as followers, has for years faced accusations that it is a tool of Moscow's influence in Ukraine and that some of its clergy cooperate with Russian intelligence.