Russian Telegram channels have spread claims that parishioners of Ukrainian Orthodox churches were allegedly asked not to visit places of worship on January 7. Those who chose to celebrate Christmas on this date and attended church were supposedly threatened with police interrogations. As ‘evidence’, propagandists attached a photo of an alleged announcement to back up their claims.  

In reality, this information is false, according to the VoxCheck project. The announcement contains a language error: “On January 7, there will be police at our church”, which is a direct translation from Russian. The correct Ukrainian phrasing should be “in our church” or “near our church”. This linguistic inaccuracy suggests the announcement was likely fabricated by Russian sources.  

Additionally, this “news” is being disseminated exclusively by Russian and pro-Russian outlets, using the same photo repeatedly. There are no similar announcements from other churches available online.  

Since 2023, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) has officially transitioned to celebrating Christmas on December 25 instead of January 7, in line with the Revised Julian calendar. However, there is no ban on celebrating Christmas on January 7 in Ukraine, and everyone is free to choose the date they prefer. Moreover, the OCU has clarified that parishes where at least two-thirds of the congregation wish to retain the old calendar may continue to do so.  

This disinformation is yet another attempt by Russian sources to exploit religious issues in Ukraine to sow division among Ukrainians. Previously, we analyzed similar false claims that the West had forced the Ukrainian Church to adopt the Catholic calendar.