Olena Kovalska

Olena Kovalska

Date of birth: 07.03.1974

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine

Olena Kovalska is the de facto curator of a campaign to justify the persecution of believers and clergy of the UOC.

As a representative of the Presidential Office, she takes direct part in international meetings at which she deliberately distorts information about the systematic persecution of Ukrainian Christians.

The official publicly denies violations of the rights of believers in Ukraine and participates in a campaign to discredit international human rights defenders who stand up for the UOC.

On August 31, 2024, the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience Viktor Yelensky and Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Olena Kovalska held a series of meetings in the United States devoted to current issues of religious freedom.

According to the SSEFС website, they discussed "legislative initiatives to protect the constitutional order in the sphere of religious organizations' activities," apparently referring to the recently controversial "law banning the UOC."

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During the visit, meetings were held with: the leadership of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF); Paul Massaro, Senior Policy Advisor of the Helsinki Commission; representatives of the U.S. State Department; Elijah Brown, President 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.

"Meeting participants discussed key issues of religious freedom in Ukraine. The focus of the discussions was on legislative initiatives to protect the constitutional order in the sphere of religious organizations' activities, in the context of countering external threats and ensuring domestic stability; views were also exchanged on the active participation of religious communities in public life and in the defense of the country," the statement read.

Based on this statement, Kovalska attempted to present the persecution of Orthodox Christians and the destruction of freedom of religion in Ukraine as a means of countering threats.

(Source: SPZH)

On September 14, 2024, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO) held a meeting with former U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Olena Kovalska and Head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience Viktor Yelensky.

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It was reported that AUCCRO representatives informed Pompeo about the state of religious freedom under martial law and about the humanitarian activities of religious denominations, and also thanked him for his support of Ukraine.

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 use of the pseudo-religious, chauvinistic ideology of the 'Russian World.'"

In making such statements, the members of the Ukrainian delegation deliberately attempted to conceal the facts of the persecution of UOC clergy and believers.

(Source: SPZH)

On November 25, 2024, in an interview with Ukrinform, Kovalska stated that American attorney Robert Amsterdam, as well as U.S. politicians who had criticized Ukrainian authorities for the persecution of the UOC, were acting in the interests of the Russian Federation.

When asked by a journalist how she could comment on the accusations made by Robert Amsterdam and certain American politicians regarding the oppression of Christians in Ukraine, Kovalska stated that she viewed their statements as part of a Russian information campaign. According to her, Russia is generously funding that campaign.

"They find sensitive topics and start 'destabilizing' them. This applies to religion as well. They take a specific case and turn it into an information campaign. And then a narrative emerges that has nothing to do with the actual facts," said the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office.

She did not specify which American politicians she considers to be part of the Russian information campaign, or whose statements she deems untruthful. It can be assumed that Kovalska was referring to Republicans J.D. Vance, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tulsi Gabbard.

In the same interview, Kovalska assured that the law that effectively bans the activities of the UOC "is aimed at ensuring the security of the country and eliminating the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church."

Kovalska holds that the law does not restrict the right to freedom of religion, and clarified that religious organizations linked to the ROC can avoid consequences if they officially declare their withdrawal from it. "If a church affiliated with the ROC withdraws from it and provides the relevant documents, the law will not apply," Kovalska explained.

The legislative measures are to be rolled out over nine months, and the government must adopt a number of secondary legislation acts for its full implementation.

(Source: SPZH)

On December 4, 2024, during a meeting with a delegation of leading conservative think tanks and civic and religious organizations from the United States, Kovalska deliberately distorted information about the state of religious freedom in Ukraine.

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AUCCRO representatives told the American delegation "about religious persecutions by the Russian Federation on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and about the destruction by Russian forces of houses of worship of various denominations."

AUCCRO members attempted to convince the delegates that only Russia employs the methods of the godless communist regime. They made no mention of problems in Ukraine.

(Source: SPZH)

On June 6, 2025, while part of Andrii Yermak's delegation in the United States, Kovalska spread disinformation to the American public about the religious situation in Ukraine.

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The delegation made a presentation in the U.S. Senate; its members held a large number of meetings with legislators and executive branch officials, politicians, and opinion leaders. Specifically, V. Yelensky, O. Kovalska, and M. Brytsyn addressed religious freedom issues at meetings with Robert Aderholt, Gary Palmer, and John Moolenaar, as well as with the staffs of several other members of Congress, the leadership of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Hudson Institute and Reuters Council experts Tony Perkins, Rich Rogers, National Faith Director at the America First Policy Institute, and Ellee Brown, General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance.

(Source: SPZH)

On December 19, 2025, in an interview with Interfax, Kovalska stated that the state had allegedly not closed a single church and allegedly had no intention of doing so.

According to her, the UOC need only renounce its affiliated status with the Russian Federation, as determined by SSEFС officials.

As the Presidential Office representative explained, the authorities' approach to religious structures is the same as to businesses — they must not be connected to the aggressor state. Kovalska noted that the influence of religious organizations over people makes this connection particularly dangerous. She did not explain in what specific way the connection to the Russian Federation manifests itself within UOC communities.

According to Kovalska, the UOC leadership has thus far refused to comply with the State Ethnopolitics Service's directive to sever ties with Moscow.

"In essence, the UOC is fighting in court for the right to continue to remain under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate," Kovalska stated.

The official deliberately spread false information with the aim of inciting hatred and harassment toward UOC believers.

(Source: SPZH)