Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Tuesday by a large majority to ban the Russian-linked Orthodox Church.

According to lawmakers, the controversial bill received a broad majority in the parliament, or Rada, in Kiev at the second reading.

Out of 322 lawmakers present, 265 voted in favour of the law.

In Ukraine’s fragmented religious landscape, around 10,000 parishes remain under the influence of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The ban is justified by the Moscow Patriarchate’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the Ukrainian branch of the Church accused of endorsing crimes against its own people.

Officially, the law aimed to protect national security and religious freedom.

President Volodymyr Zelensky must sign the bill for it to become law.

In Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova sharply condemned the ban.

The law would take effect 30 days after its publication, giving individual parishes nine months to sever ties with Moscow, according to Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak. 

(dpa/NAN)