On August 20, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a draft law banning the activities of religious organizations that have ties to countries that have committed aggression against Ukraine, particularly Russia. The bill received the support of 265 deputies. However, as reported by the "Chesno" movement, 29 people's deputies voted against this law.
Among those who opposed the ban of the UOC-MP, the "Platform for Life and Peace" faction had the most representatives. In particular, former member of the pro-Russian "Party of Regions" and "Opposition Bloc" Yuriy Boyko, as well as his associates Serhii Lyovochkin, Hryhoriy Surkis and other members of the faction, voted against the law.
In second place in terms of the number of deputies who voted against the ban of the Moscow Patriarchate, the deputy group "Restoration of Ukraine" was. Among them were Anatoly Gunko, Volodymyr Moroz, and Artem Dmytruk, who previously criticized the Ukrainian military in the Kursk region.
Four deputies from the pro-government party "Servant of the People" also voted against the law. These are Yevhen Brahar, Artem Kultenko, Serhii Lytvynenko and Pavlo Khalimov. In addition to them, one non-factional deputy, Victoria Hryb, also expressed her disagreement.
In addition, four people's representatives abstained during the voting. Three of them represent the "Servant of the People" faction: Roman Koptelov, Stepan Chernyavskyi, and George Mazurashu. Another People's Deputy who abstained belongs to "Restore Ukraine" — Oleg Voronko.
