Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), said no one would “pull by the beard” of representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) who refuse to leave Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. His comment published in the telegram channel of the Strana.ua edition.
“We are clearly aware that there is a plan in Moscow to create an image for Russian television to show that we as authorities exert physical pressure on the representatives of the clergy who are still there today.
I have repeatedly stressed that we will not, no one will physically drag them by the legs, by the hands, by the beards. It’s not our tactic,” Danilov said.
He added that “the country’s decision” would be implemented “serenely”.
“The state reserve will be entirely in the hands of the country,” Danilov said.
“Woe to You”
The UOC occupies part of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where there is a monastery and caves with the relics of saints. The rest of the Laure belongs to the museum-reserve and is administered by the Ministry of Culture. In mid-March, the UOC, which the Ukrainian authorities accuse of being pro-Russian, received a letter from the administration of the reserve. The letter stated that violations had been revealed in the activities of the monastery and that the monks of the UOC had to leave the Lavra by March 29.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said the monks could stay in the Lavra if transferred to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, established in 2018 by representatives of non-canonical churches. .
On March 30, a reserve commission arrived at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra to accept buildings for state use. However, the believers who gathered in the Lavra did not allow him to start the work.
Metropolitan Pavel, vice-manager of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, has threatened Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with divine retribution for expelling monks from the monastery. “You couldn’t stop the Minister of Culture, who is obsessed with rage, anger and hatred, which means he does everything with your permission. Woe to you. To fear! Metropolitan Pavel addressed Zelensky.
