01 November 2026, 15:12
A journalist from Sevastopol has written a book about the impact of faith under occupation
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Alexey Gordeev. PHOTO: Facebook
Alexei Gordeev, a native of Sevastopol, wrote the book *Religion in War* about the role of faith during the occupation of Crimea and the full-scale invasion. In his book, the author compiled 14 interviews with religious leaders.
This was reported by Krym. Realii.
The foreword to “Religion in War” was written by Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).
In his work, the author analyzed the influence of religious beliefs on the occupation of Crimea, the war in Donbas, and the full-scale invasion. He focused on the cooperation between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and the Russian military and special services.
For the book, Oleksiy Gordeev interviewed Orthodox, Protestant, Greek Catholic, and Muslim leaders and chaplains.
The book provides a detailed account of the widespread destruction of Ukrainian churches and religious sites as a result of Russian aggression, the Kremlin’s use of faith as a weapon, and the widespread collaboration of representatives of the UOC (Moscow Patriarchate) with the occupiers in Crimea and other seized regions. Special attention is given to the selfless service of the Ukrainian clergy, chaplains, and believers.
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It is noted that “Religion in War” concludes the findings of a study, begun in 2016, on the role of religion from the annexation of Crimea to the full-scale invasion.
The book launch will take place on October 8 in Kyiv. According to Oleksiy Gordeev, he will later present his work in other cities across Ukraine.
Oleksiy Gordeev is a native of Sevastopol, holds a master’s degree in theology, is a lecturer at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, and is a communications specialist. Throughout his career, he has worked in the media industry, notably at Channel 5. He also headed the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (2019–2020) and led the communications departments of the Agency for the Search and Management of Assets (ARMA). The author specializes in analyzing the influence of religious institutions on socio-political processes in Ukraine. Gordeev began his research into the role of religion with the book *The Church on the Maidan* (2016).
