Head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience Victor Yelensky has said the bill on ban on activities of religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine requires a range of amendments before putting its up for second reading.

"More than ten bills one way or another related to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) were registered in the Verkhovna Rada. The draft law that was submitted by the government is the only one which can actually work and not just be a political statement. This is the only bill complying with the obligations undertaken by Ukraine when joining the Council of Europe in 1995… This is a working mechanism which is absent in the rest of the draft laws," he said on the national telethon on Friday.

At the same time, Yelensky said that the bill requires several amendments, which would make the mechanisms provided by it more effective, before putting it up for second reading.

"There are certain technical issues, and each of them may turn into an obstacle for effectiveness. For example, it is necessary to propose certain judiciary-related amendments to the bill. It is necessary to amend some of its transitional provisions," he said.

As reported, the Verkhovna Rada passed at first reading bill No. 8371 prohibiting activities of the religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The governmental draft law was registered in the Verkhovna Rada on January 19, 2023.