RESTRICTIONS ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DURING THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR: TRANSFORMATION OF VALUE FOUNDATIONS

Abstract

The article examines the transformation of the value foundations of religious freedom in Ukraine under conditions of full-scale Russian aggression. The author analyzes the paradigmatic shift from a liberal model of religious freedom as an absolute value to a securitized model, where security becomes the determining criterion for the permissibility of religious activity.The study reveals the evolution of approaches to religious freedom in Ukraine – from an optimistic vision as an indisputable achievement of democracy to awareness of its vulnerability under hybrid threats. Special attention is paid to the use of religious institutions as instruments of hybrid warfare and the formation of a new legal regime in response to these challenges.Applying the theoretical developments of the Copenhagen School of Security Studies, the author explores the process of securitization of religion in the Ukrainian context, highlighting its specific characteristics: the existential nature of the threat, institutional dependence as a security factor, and the preventive nature of securitization.The article analyzes the international community's reaction to Ukrainian restrictions on the activities of religious organizations associated with the aggressor country, and reveals the complexity of balancing traditional human rights principles with recognition of Ukraine's security needs.The author problematizes the formation of a new paradigm of "security as a prerequisite for freedom," which is based on rethinking the hierarchy of rights under conditions of existential threat. Special attention is paid to the process of institutionalizing a new approach to regulating the activities of religious organizations associated with the aggressor country.The study is of significant importance for understanding the transformation of the relationship between individual rights and collective security in the era of hybrid threats and may serve as a foundation for rethinking international standards of religious freedom under conditions of existential challenges.