Moscow, March 5, 2014
The highest political posts in Ukraine are now occupied by people connected with religious organizations that are not traditional for the Ukraine.
Acting President, speaker of the Verkhovnaya Rada Alexander Turchinov is a Baptist pastor, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is a scientologist. His sister chairs a major scientologist organization in the USA, Ukrainian media report. Orthodox Christianity is historically, and currently by far the largest religious group, with a 2004 census showing 26 percent against a Protestant .9 percent. In that census, 62 percent were reported non-religious, or not belonging to any church.
Some years ago books by the Church of Scientology founder Ron Hubbard were recognized extremist in Russia. Scientology is banned in Germany, and many ex-scientologists have reported serious violations of human rights and dignity within the sect.