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New Ukrainian Church Being Used for Political Ends, Kremlin Says

Petro Poroshenko and newly-elected head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Epiphany Peter Sivkov / TASS

The Kremlin on Monday accused Ukraine's politicians of using the creation of a new Ukrainian Orthodox church independent of Moscow for political ends.

Ukraine chose the head of a new national Orthodox church on Saturday, marking a historic split from Russia which its leaders see as vital to the country's security and independence.

"In Ukraine, these processes, this schism-creating activity is completely mixed up with politics, which of course is probably not allowed in church canon," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. 

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