Soldier stripped of war medal after church finds out he’s gay

Viktor Pylypenko had been granted an award for his military service fighting Russian forces in Ukraine’s east (Picture: Viktor Pylypenko)

A Ukrainian church stripped a gay soldier of an award after learning of his ‘sinful tendencies’.

Viktor Pylypenko was only granted the award honouring his military combat service on February 8, 2024.

But just over two weeks later, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate took it back, claiming it ‘did not know about his sinful tendencies’.

In a statement posted on its website, the church said: ‘We thank soldier Viktor Pylypenko, as well as all our defenders for protecting our freedom and territorial integrity, for his military merits, but we do not share his sinful preferences and LGBT agitation.

Viktor Pylypenko launched the leading charity for LGBT+ members of the military in Ukraine after coming out as gay in 2018 (Picture: Viktor Pylypenko)

The Ukrainian soldier pictured beside a bullet-ridden sign near the frontlines in Donetsk region (Picture: Viktor Pylypenko)

‘We inform you that in view of the open propaganda of a sinful ideology and the denial of the existence of God, the church award to Pylypenko is to be considered annulled.’

In response, Viktor said: ‘When our unit was going through one of the most difficult phases of fighting in Donetsk region, where I could have died, Patriarch Filaret would probably not have continued to say such irrational things about me and people like me.

‘At that time, many members of our community were killed, wounded, and captured, who fought along the entire front line in various units.’

Viktor spent nearly two years fighting Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region from 2014 to 2016, Reuters reported.

After coming out as gay in 2018, he launched LGBT+ Military, a charity advocating for and supporting LGBT+ soldiers and veterans, and helped organise Ukraine’s largest ever Pride parade in 2021.

He rejoined the military just two days after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, saying ‘this is our war, the Ukrainians, but we have also been fighting as LGBTQ people’.

Viktor added: ‘We are confronting a tyrannical, homophobic enemy.’

He’s been back fighting in the Donbas as part of the 1st Mechanised Battalion of the 72nd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Army.

The brigade has taken part in some of the fiercest fighting of this war, including the battle of Bakhmut, described as a ‘meat grinder’ for the near-total destruction of the city and the estimated 100,000 casualties that may make it the bloodiest of the 21st century.

The Kyiv Patriarchate, one of several Eastern Orthodox churches in Ukraine, awarded medals of ‘Sacrifice and love to Ukraine’ to Viktor’s battalion for their military service as defender’s of Ukraine.

Patriarch Filaret presented the medals to a commander of the unit, who travelled from the Donbas to receive them on behalf of his unit.

However, the church claims to have taken issue with Viktor saying he received the award ‘as an openly gay man for human rights protection’ and for suggesting the church had ‘radically changed their negative position towards LGBT people’.

It said Viktor ‘received thanks from the Church, exclusively as a defender of Ukraine, and not as an LGBT activist’.

LGBT+ Military said: ‘While LGBT+ are fighting on the front lines for Ukraine against the Russian invasion, the cave-like prehistoric homophobia in the UOC drags society to the values of the swamps, devaluing the contribution of the LGBT+ military to victory.

‘Such discrimination is barbaric and, unfortunately, still remains unpunished, because there is no protection against homophobia and transphobia in the legislation.

‘We call on the authorities to finally implement the necessary draft laws to protect the community that protects the state.

‘After all, you can cancel the award, but you can never cancel freedom.’

Viktor has been public about his sexuality and activism since coming out in 2018.

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Alongside pictures of himself with fellow soldiers and videos riding tanks, Viktor’s Instagram also includes images with Pride flags and even a video of him kissing another man.

The church remains steadfast in its opposition to LGBT+ rights despite a rapid shift in social attitudes towards LGBT+ since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The participation of people from all walks of life fighting together on the frontlines in Ukraine has created a sense of unity and common purpose in the country.

This has been of particular benefit to Ukraine’s LGBT+ community who are inching closer to achieving landmark legislative change.

A bill is currently moving through Ukraine’s parliament that would give legal recognition to same-sex partnerships.

Introduced in March 2023 by Inna Sovsun, MP for the liberal Holos, this bill reflects a growing sense that LGBT+ members of the military deserve the same rights as their comrades, especially when they die or are injured in battle.

For many like Viktor, this war is as much about culture as it is about land and borders.

They see it as a struggle to break free from Russia’s orbit and control, and for Viktor that means the fight is for the rights of LGBT+ people, who have faced discrimination, violence and even extermination in Russia.

Even the conservative politician Andrii Kozhemiakin, an ex-spy known for his Christian faith and large family, changed his tune during a debate on the bill, declaring he will support ‘anything that our enemy hates’, The Guardian reported.

He said: ‘If it will never exist in Russia, it should exist and be supported here, to show them and signal to them that we are different.

‘This law is like a smile towards Europe and a middle finger to Russia. So I support it.’

He added: ‘If Putin hates gays, we should support them’.

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