Ukrainian churches have demanded government action against Jehovah's Witnesses after accusing them of insulting mainstream faiths in the country, writes Jonathan Luxmoore.

"We appeal to you to exercise state control in line with current legislation on freedom of conscience," Catholic and Orthodox leaders said in a joint open letter to officials in the western Lviv region.

The church leaders were reacting to a Witness brochure titled "The End of False Religion is Nigh", graphically depicting a prostitute astride a many-headed beast. They said the image, purportedly symbolising the "world religious system", was offensive to Catholic and Orthodox Christians. The publication was defended by the Witnesses' public relations department, which said it was based on "biblical descriptions from the Book of Revelation" (an apparent reference to Chapter 17) and had not mentioned "officially registered denominations". "Every religion has a constitutional right to interpret the prophecies in its holy book," the department said in a statement.