The Putin regime is using the Russian Orthodox Church as a weapon, particularly in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

David Smith, a UK Member of Parliament and the government’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, made the statement in the House of Commons following a visit to Ukraine, Evangelical Focus reports.

According to Smith, people in the occupied territories can worship freely only in Russian Orthodox churches.

“While I was there, I heard from our Ukrainian partners how the Putin regime is using the Russian Orthodox Church as a weapon, particularly in the occupied territories. No one there has freedom of religion or belief unless they belong to the Russian Orthodox Church,” he said.

The MP noted that “a key dividing line in this conflict concerns freedom of religion or belief and human rights more broadly, and it is the dividing line between a free, open Ukrainian democracy and an increasingly authoritarian Russia.”

Earlier, we reported that U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman and Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, along with several other lawmakers, introduced the “Countering the Russian War Against Faith Act.”

As LF reported, the Kremlin is seeking to justify its prolonged war against Ukraine by using longstanding false narratives that “the Ukrainian government is suppressing religious freedoms.” This is according to a report by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).