Olena Kovalska
Date of birth: March 7, 1974
Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
Olena Kovalska is the unofficial curator of the campaign to justify the persecution of believers and clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
As a representative of the Office of the President, she directly participates in international meetings, where she deliberately distorts information about the systematic persecution of Ukrainian Christians.
This official publicly denies violations of the rights of believers in Ukraine and participates in a campaign to discredit international human rights defenders who defend the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
🔴On August 31, 2024, Viktor Yelensky, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolicy and Freedom of Conscience, and Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, held a series of meetings in the United States on current issues of religious freedom.
According to the SSUFC website, they discussed "legislative initiatives to protect the constitutional order in the sphere of activities of religious organizations," apparently referring to the latest, much-discussed "law banning the UOC."
During the visit, meetings were held with the leadership of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF); Paul Massaro, Senior Policy Advisor to the Helsinki Commission; representatives of the US Department of State; Elijah Brown, Chairman of the Baptist World Alliance; the leadership of the Museum of the Bible; Eric Patterson, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation; and leaders of the Ukrainian community in the United States.
"The participants discussed key issues of religious freedom in Ukraine. The discussion focused on legislative initiatives to protect the constitutional order in the sphere of religious organizations, in the context of countering external threats and ensuring internal stability. They also exchanged views on the active participation of religious communities in public life and in the country's defense," the statement said.
Based on this statement, Kovalska attempted to portray the persecution of Orthodox Christians and the destruction of religious freedom in Ukraine as a response to threats.
🔴On September 14, 2024, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) met with former US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.
The meeting was attended by Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and Viktor Yelensky, Chairman of the State Service for Ethnopolicy and Freedom of Conscience.
Representatives of the All-Russian Council of Churches and Roerichs (AUCCRO) reportedly briefed Pompeo on the state of religious freedom under martial law and on the humanitarian activities of religious denominations, and thanked him for his support of Ukraine.
The Council members "emphasized the high level of religious freedom that exists in Ukraine, as well as the importance of protecting it from the aggressor country's exploitation of the pseudo-religious chauvinistic ideology of the 'Russian world.'"
By making such claims, members of the Ukrainian delegation deliberately attempted to conceal the persecution of the clergy and believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
🔴On November 25, 2024, in an interview with Ukrinform, Kovalska stated that American lawyer Robert Amsterdam, as well as US politicians who criticized the Ukrainian authorities for persecuting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, were aiding the Russian Federation.
When asked by a journalist how she could comment on the accusations made by Robert Amsterdam and some American politicians regarding the persecution of Christians in Ukraine, Kovalskaya stated that she views their statements as part of a Russian information campaign. According to her, Russia is generously funding this campaign.
"They find sensitive topics and start to 'destabilize' them. This applies to religion as well. They take a specific case and turn it into an information campaign. And then a story emerges that has nothing to do with the actual facts," the deputy head of the Office of the President stated.
She did not specify which American politicians she considered part of the Russian information campaign or whose statements she considered untrue. It can be assumed that Kovalskaya was referring to Republicans J.D. Vance, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tulsi Gabbard.
In the same interview, Kovalska asserted that the law, which effectively bans the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is "aimed at ensuring the country's security and eliminating the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church."
Kovalska believes the law does not restrict the right to freedom of religion and clarified that religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church can avoid consequences if they officially declare their withdrawal from it. "If a church affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church withdraws from it and provides the relevant documents, the law will not be applied," Kovalska explained.
The legislative measures will be implemented over nine months, and the government must adopt a number of bylaws for their full implementation.
🔴On December 4, 2024, during a meeting with a delegation of leading conservative think tanks and public and religious organizations from the United States, Kovalska intentionally distorted information about the state of religious freedom in Ukraine.
Representatives of the All-Ukranian Council of Churches and Roots (AUCCRO) told the American delegation "about the Russian Federation's religious persecution in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the destruction of religious buildings of various faiths by Russian troops."
AUCCRO members attempted to convince the delegates that only Russia employs the methods of the godless communist regime. They made no mention of the problems in Ukraine.
🔴On June 6, 2025, Kovalska, while part of Andriy Yermak's delegation to the United States, misinformed the American public about the religious situation in Ukraine.
The delegation delivered a presentation to the US Senate. Its members held numerous meetings with legislators and executive branch officials, politicians, and opinion leaders. In particular, V. Yelensky, O. Kovalskaya, and M. Britsyn outlined religious freedom issues in meetings with Robert Aderholt, Gary Palmer, and John Moulinar, as well as with the teams of several other congressmen, the leadership of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), experts from the Hudson Institute and Reuters Council, Tony Perkins, National Director of Faith at the America First Policy Institute, Rich Rogers, and General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, Ellada Brown.
🔴On December 19, 2025, Kovalskaya stated in an interview with Interfax that the government had allegedly not closed a single church and allegedly had no intention of doing so.
According to her, the UOC must simply renounce its affiliation with the Russian Federation, which was discovered by SSUFC officials.
As the Public Chamber representative explained, the government's approach to religious structures is the same as to businesses – they should not be associated with an aggressor state. Kovalskaya stated that the influence of religious organizations on people makes this connection particularly dangerous. She did not elaborate on how specifically the UOC communities' ties to Russia manifest themselves.
According to Kovalskaya, the UOC leadership has so far refused to comply with the State Ethnopolicy's order to break with Moscow.
"Essentially, the UOC is fighting in court for the right to continue to be subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate," Kovalskaya stated.
The official deliberately spread false information with the aim of inciting hatred and harassment against UOC believers.
Vicar of the St. Nicholas Church of the UOC-KP (OCU) in the city of Poltava, archpriest of the OCU.
