Religion and War in Ukraine

This book offers an incisive analysis of the religious dimensions of Russia's war against Ukraine since the February 2022 full-scale invasion. Ukraine is a multiconfessional society with exceptionally high rates of religious identification. A parallel religious proxy war intensified to reshape Ukraine's religious landscape to favor specific transnational connections and political outcomes. Religion has been simultaneously instrumentalized, weaponized, and securitized by all parties, making it a critical and volatile marker of identity with profound consequences.Using interdisciplinary approaches, this volume explores the intersection of war and religion by analyzing how diverse religious communities—Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim—navigate and shape the conflict. Bringing together Ukrainian scholars and international experts with decades of fieldwork and archival research experience, the book examines controversial issues, including state policies toward specific religious institutions, the Vatican's mediation dilemmas, and the experiences of minority religious communities. While religious institutions advance social solidarity and humanitarian efforts, they are also a volatile force capable of deepening divisions.This book is essential reading for students, scholars, and researchers in Religious Studies, Conflict Studies, International Relations, Political Science, Anthropology of Religion, and Peace and Reconciliation Studies. It offers valuable insights for policymakers and the general public, providing timely perspectives on the complex role of religion in contemporary armed conflicts.The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Canadian Slavonic Papers.