US religious freedom chair: Russia poses 'imminent risk' to Ukrainian religions that are not 'traditional'

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FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has expressed deep concern for the safety of religious minorities in Ukraine as Russia continues its violent invasion of the country.

USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza told Fox News Digital that in addition to the ongoing nationalist, secular struggle for sovereignty Ukrainians are fighting, the aftermath of the conflict will most likely bleed into the realm of religion.

"Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion is destroying lives, separating families and devastating communities across Ukraine," Maenza told Fox News. "As this horrific tragedy unfolds, there is significant potential for religious violence and severe violations of religious freedom associated with Russia’s ongoing invasion and occupation of Ukraine."

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"For years, USCIRF has documented the decline of religious freedom in Russia and warned about Russia’s use of religious freedom violations to suppress dissent and terrorize the population in occupied Crimea and the Donbas," the USCIRF chair added.

Metropolitan Epiphanius, newly elected head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, conducts a service during his enthronement in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 3, 2019.  (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Non-Christian faith communities are not the only ones at risk of persecution. The USCIRF warns that the umbrella of religions found objectionable by the Russian government could include members of smaller Christian churches.

"We are extremely concerned that religious communities such as the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Muslims (especially Crimean Tatar refugees), Jehovah’s Witnesses, Greek Catholics and the many diverse faiths in Ukraine that do not conform to Russia’s narrow definition of ‘traditional religion’ now face imminent risk," Maenza said.

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According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, most religious groups recognized under Ukrainian law continued to be unable to reregister due to stringent legal requirements under Russian law. 

All but one mosque remained closed in Donetsk and Russian-led forces have used the religious buildings of minority religious groups as military facilities. A 2018 survey found that about 67.3% of Ukraine's population identifies as one or another strand of Orthodox Christianity, with 28.7% part of the Kyiv-based Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), 23.4% simply "Orthodox," and 12.8% UOC-MP. 

Another 7.7% of the population identifies as broadly Christian, while Ukrainian Byzantine Rite Catholics make up 9.4%, Protestants make up 2.2%, Latin Rite Catholics make up 0.8%, Muslims make up 2.5%, and Judaism makes up 0.4%. Another 11% declared themselves non-religious or unaffiliated.

Fox News Digital's Tyler O'Neil contributed reporting