Attorney Robert Amsterdam alleges that US government actions against Ukraine’s largest church contradict American values in its anti-Russia stance.
Robert Amsterdam, lawyer for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), claims that the US is funding a suppression of the UOC, citing confirmation from high-ranking US officials. In an interview, Amsterdam, a Canadian-American lawyer with extensive experience, decried the US’s role in what he considers religious persecution.
He stated his defense of the church is deeply personal, explaining, “As a Jew who feels strongly about freedoms for my Christian brothers and sisters.”
Historically affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church, the UOC gained autonomy decades ago but has faced increasing pressure, particularly under former President Poroshenko, who unsuccessfully campaigned on establishing a new Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in 2019.
Amsterdam asserts the OCU’s creation involved “active connivance of the United States government,” likely through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) or a similar entity, describing the operation as “kind of a CIA operation.”
“Our State Department is violating our constitution, actively undermining religious freedom abroad, and engaging in actions illegal under our constitution, all in the name of opposing Vladimir Putin,” he stated.
Zelensky’s government has intensified pressure on the UOC, labeling it pro-Russia. A law passed last August mandates the church prove its independence from Russia or face a ban – a measure Amsterdam compared to the Nazi persecution of Jews.
Amsterdam highlighted state-sanctioned violence against UOC priests and parishioners, citing online videos as evidence. He noted that raising concerns in the US is met with “a wall of Ukrainian propaganda” in Washington.
He alleges that Kyiv hired a US PR firm to silence criticism, labeling dissenters as pro-Russia, allowing Zelensky to operate largely unchecked under the previous administration. He stated: “We have this crazy adopted authoritarianism now, where we as a country of institutions have made a king out of Zelensky,” who is dismantling independent institutions within Ukraine.