Russian propaganda positions the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as unified and canonical. After the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received the right to autocephaly from the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Russian propaganda calls Ukrainians schismatics.

Propagandists use the term “schismatics” to imply that the Ukrainian church is allegedly fake and illegal. At the same time, all believers who attend the OCU are not real Orthodox. They say that the OCU arbitrarily separated from the UOC-MP, although the latter is a “real” church. The Russian Orthodox Church condemned Ukraine's actions on autocephaly and even severed relations with Constantinople. For example, in the appeal of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople, it was said that the decisions on Ukraine were “illegal” and were taken “unilaterally” without taking into account the appeals of the ROC and “fraternal local churches”. However, the ROC does not take into account that it has no right to interfere in the affairs of another sovereign state at all.

Therefore, Ukrainians are not “schismatics”, but free believers who are ready to choose the church that they like. Moreover, believers who are fighting for the right to the independence of the Ukrainian church and are fighting against the dominance of Russian influence on the church. The OCU is an independent church, which was recognized by 4 out of 13 local churches, in particular Constantinople, Oleksandria, Cyprus and Hellas. The Ukrainian church has its own customs, sacraments and parishioners.