Ukraine's parliament approves ban on Moscow-linked religious groups. One church is seen as a target

Ukraine’s parliament has banned the activities of religious groups tied to the Russian Orthodox Church or any other faith group supporting Russia's invasion — a measure widely seen as targeting a Ukrainian religious body, despite its claim to independence from Moscow.

The bill creates the legal tools for the government to ban the activities of any religious group deemed to be too closely connected to Russia or to support its invasion of Ukraine..

The Verkhovna Rada approved the bill on Tuesday with 265 affirmative votes and only 29 opposed.

The explicit ban on the Russian Orthodox Church is seen as aimed at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which historically has been tied to the Russian church.