Activities of UOC leaders during the war: patterns of value-oriented affiliation to the source of aggression

Abstract

 The subject of the study is the value-semantic involvement of high-ranking clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the narratives and practices of the ideology of the Russkiy mir. The aim of the article is to explicate and empirically articulate the key patterns of symbolic manifestation of the ideological loyalty of the UOC leadership to the source of aggression. This aim is oriented toward contributing to the development of an informational, educational and methodological resource for preventing further ideological and physical invasions by Russia. Methodologically, the study is grounded in an understanding of religious institutions as subjects of symbolic governance and in the conceptual nexus of “values / symbolic communication / social practice / security role”. A pattern analysis is employed to identify and typologize recurrent socio-value practices in the activities of UOC leaders, alongside procedures of critical discourse analysis with attention to verbal, aesthetic, and gestural-communicative meanings. The empirical base consists of official statements, news reports, and publications from the official resources of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the UOC from 2012 to 2025, as well as expert materials in the field of religious studies. The relevance of the study is determined by the existentially liminal situation of Ukraine’s defense against the Russian aggressor and by the need for a humanitarian-security reflection on the role of religious leaders in shaping the value orientations of communities. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the application of pattern analysis to the concrete practices of high-ranking UOC clergy and in the systematization of material that complements existing scholarly and legal expert assessments of the UOC’s affiliation with the ROC. As a result of the study, typical patterns in the activities of UOC leaders are identified – ranging from controlled pilgrimages and symbolic acts of loyalty to the reception of ROC functionaries, the dissemination of sacralized texts imbued with imperial meanings, and participation in international ideological events. The practical significance of the work consists in the use of its findings for the educational purposes, for enhancing religious-studies and ethical literacy, and for strengthening the security resilience of Ukrainian society. The conclusions emphasize that the affiliation of UOC discourse with Russian imperial narratives constitutes a systemic social and security challenge to the sovereign self-regulation of Ukraine.