Of Little Green Men and Long Black Robes: The Role of the Orthodox Church in the Conflict in Ukraine

• November 13, 2017

Since February 2014, the conflict in Ukraine has split the country in half. With the seizure of Crimea and the ongoing war in Eastern Ukraine, Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian nationalists have fought not just for land, but for the soul of their nation. Much has been said about the politics of this conflict, but what is often overlooked is the role played by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Nationalists overwhelmingly choose the Kyiv Patriarchate Church over the more traditional Moscow Patriarchate because of negative associations with the latter’s ties to the Kremlin’s policy. To explore the conflict and the Church, we host Father Anthony Perkins, a former Army Intelligence Officer and adjunct professor at the U.S. Naval War College.