KYIV, Ukraine, Aug 24, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday signed a law banning the Russian-linked Orthodox Church in Ukraine, with the decision published on Ukraine's parliament website.

Ukraine's has been seeking to distance itself from the Russian church since 2014 and the efforts have accelerated since Russia's 2022 invasion.

Zelensky approved the bill, slammed by Russia, on Kyiv's independence day from the Soviet Union and two and a half years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader said the move will strengthen his country's independence and in an address on Saturday declared: "Ukrainian Orthodox (church) today is taking a step towards liberation from Moscow's devils."

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church officially broke away from the Moscow patriarchy in 2022, but Ukrainian officials repeatedly accuse its clerics of staying loyal to Russia.

Russia's invasion has been backed by the country's Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill, a staunch ally of President Vladimir Putin.