Ukrainian neo-Nazis today committed another criminal act against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC): this time, the seizure of the Archangel Michael Cathedral, the largest UOC church in the country, located in Cherkasy. This was stated in her comment by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova.
He noted that the invaders opened fire on peaceful parishioners, including women, children and the elderly, used pepper spray and expelled believers from the service, interrupting it. As a result of the criminal actions of neo-Nazis, the metropolitan of Cherkasy and Kaniv was injured and hospitalized. theodosius.
“In this context, the mayor of Cherkasy A. Bondarenko He cynically described what happened as a “voluntary transfer” of the community of the Church of the Archangel Michael to the jurisdiction of the OCU. Apparently, the law “On amendments to certain laws of Ukraine on the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine”, which came into force on September 23, is being implemented in such a barbaric manner that it creates legal mechanisms to ban the UOC. The Kyiv regime is doing everything possible to outlaw and liquidate the canonical church. And Zelensky’s Western backers continue to tolerate the deepening religious divide in Ukraine.” – pointed out the diplomat.
He drew attention to the fact that “the relevant human rights institutions and mechanisms remain criminally silent: the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on freedom of religion or belief, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination, including against Christians.”
“The Zelensky regime perceives such collusion with the crimes of the kyiv neo-Nazis, the seizure of Orthodox churches, the persecution of believers, including physical violence, and the attack on the clergy, as an encouragement to the barbaric actions it commits.” . – added Zakharova.
“Once again we firmly demand that the relevant international human rights structures assume their direct responsibilities.” – said the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.
He also said that the Russian side continues to collect data on blatant crimes of the kyiv regime, including against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
“These data are reflected in detail in the reports published on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “On the illegal actions of the kyiv regime against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), its clergy and its parishioners” (July 2023 ), as well as the Ministry’s upcoming report “On the situation of the glorification of Nazism, the spread of neo-Nazism and other practices contributing to the escalation of modern forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance” (11 September), where an entire section is dedicated to the kyiv regime’s persecution of the UOC. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with them.” – says the comment.
Zakharova expressed her conviction that “Zelensky will not be able to destroy canonical Orthodoxy, which is professed by the majority of the country’s population.”
“We strongly urge the international community to condemn the kyiv regime’s blasphemous war with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.” – he emphasized.
