In Ukraine's East, A Shrapnel-Scarred Monastery Is Caught Up In War And Religious Rivalry – Analysis – Eurasia Review eurasiareview.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurasiareview.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The monks of the Svyatohirsk Lavra, a major monastery near the front line in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region, have been accused of siding with Russia-backed forces in the past. Now, the majestic site is caught in the middle of Russia’s war on Ukraine and a struggle for the Orthodox faithful.
Turkey’s stated support of the “so-called peace plan” formulated by Ukrainian President Zelensky does not change the fact that Russia considers it unacceptable.
On December 9, a court in south central Ukraine imposed movement restrictions on orthodox priest Metropolitan Joasaph of Kirovohrad, suspected of having spread pro-Russian views and literature. The Orthodox church of Ukraine established its autonomy from Moscow four years ago. Clerics loyal to the Russian Patriarchate are increasingly subject to searches and accusations by security services and prosecutors.
Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Police found a large number of anti-Ukrainian materials while taking security measures in the territory of Pochayiv Theological Seminary and Ivano-Frankivsk Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the SBU has said.