canonicity

In an interview with the Serbian newspapers Politika and Vecernje Novosti ahead of his visit to Serbia, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the creation of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine”, a schismatic agglomeration headed by Ukrainian ultra-nationalists was “dangerous politicking.” He further noted that:

One of the hot political issues in Ukraine is actually an element which ought never be involved in earthly politics, is the local Orthodox Church of that country. Ukraine has a very odd situation with respect to Church canons (laws), for instead of just one Orthodox Church, Ukraine has three groups. One group is canonical, and operates very independently while yet under the oversight of the Russian Orthodox Church.