Russia demolishes last Ukrainian Orthodox church in occupied Crimea.
Russia’s attack on the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Crimea began immediately after its invasion, and it has used all forms of terror and lawlessness to try to drive the Church out
Ukraine has initiated criminal proceedings after the Russian-installed ‘authorities’ in occupied Crimea began demolishing the Holy Cross Chapel in Yevpatoria. This was the last remaining Orthodox Church of Ukraine [OCU] place of worship in occupied Crimea after Russia’s systematic attempts to drive the Church out which began shortly after its invasion and annexation of Crimea.
Voice of Crimea reports that the demolition of the OCU Holy Cross Chapel began on 21 July with the dome already removed and the upper part of the Chapel dismantled. Although the Crimean Diocese and Yevpatoria congregation have been forced to fight to retain the chapel since Russia’s invasion, the occupation regime began aggressively trying to force its demolition from 2019. An occupation ‘court’ not only ordered that the chapel be demolished but demanded that the congregation themselves carry out such destruction.
In July 2020, Archbishop Klyment, the Head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Crimea, reported that he had been threatened with criminal prosecution if he did not organize the demolition of the chapel within five days. The original occupation ‘court’ order had been issued in November 2019 with the Russian occupiers falsely claiming that the Church had not had the necessary permits to build the chapel. Archbishop Klyment dismissed this attempt at an excuse, pointing out that the construction work had begun before 2014, and that they had all the relevant documentation.
In June 2024, the Yevpatoria occupation ‘authorities’ applied to the city ‘court’ for a permit to demolish the chapel, asserting that this was because the Crimean Diocese and Yevpatoria congregation had ignored previous ‘orders’ that they do this. The application, signed by Y.Y. Meliasanova, asked that the Diocese and congregation be charged for the demolition work.
Archbishop Klyment commented that in this “we see the true face of the authoritarian regime in Crimea which is destroying everything that is linked with Ukrainian identity. This is, in effect, international genocide, being carried out in Europe.”
The Head of the Church in Crimea once again called for decisive measures from the Ukrainian authorities to counter the systematic destruction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Crimea. Klyment has repeatedly pointed out that the Church remains the only island of Ukrainian identity and spirituality in occupied Crimea and has expressed frustration that no more was done by the authorities in Kyiv to protect it. Although Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers first adopted a very belated resolution transferring the Cathedral of Saints Volodymyr and Olha in Simferopol to state ownership in 2020, this needed to be more than merely a resolution. Even the efforts made on the eve of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine did not fully achieve such implementation.
Since Russia had begun efforts to appropriate this Cathedral from early 2014, and has now driven the Church out, the move may seem theoretical, but is not. Ukraine is demonstrating that it will defend its property, and, as of 25 June 2024, has a unanimous, and totally damning judgement from the European Court of Human Rights in the Case of Ukraine v. Russia re: Crimea to back its position. All of this is especially important given the terror, abductions and persecution of believers which Russia is bringing to any Ukrainian territory that falls under its occupation.
Russia’s attack on the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Crimea has been unrelenting since early 2014. In an interview to Voice of Crimea shortly after Russia flouted an express order from the UN Human Rights Council and seized the Cathedral of Volodymyr and Olha in Simferopol on 11 May 2023, Archbishop Klyment explained that even at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there had still been seven functioning parishes in occupied Crimea. Now, however, all Ukrainian Orthodox priests and monks had been forced out of occupied Crimea. The final method used by the occupation regime had been to threaten the clergy with forced mobilization into the Russian army waging war against Ukraine.
There were two main reasons for the speed with which Russia began its attack on the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Crimea. The Church had expressed an unequivocally pro-Ukrainian stand from the outset and had stood with the Ukrainian Armed Forces who were under siege by the Russian invaders without insignia. The offensive is also linked with Russia’s antagonism and attempt to eliminate everything connected with Ukraine and Ukrainian identity under its occupation. As mentioned, Moscow very clearly planned to seize control of the Cathedral of Volodymyr and Olha from the outset, and Klyment has spoken of being offered 200 thousand US dollars to vacate the Cathedral in Simferopol. It was after this attempt at corruption failed, that the occupation regime turned to other methods to achieve what it is now trying to call the ‘liberation’ of the Cathedral, namely the seizure and looting of the property of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and the crushing of its central body in occupied Crimea.
The criminal proceedings initiated by Ukraine’s Crimean Prosecutor are under Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (violation of the laws and practice of war), and with cause. Russia is an occupying state and its assault of the Church and plundering of its property is in violation of the Geneva Convention, as well as of fundamental rights enshrined in international conventions to which Russia is a party.
Source: khpg.org
Author: Halya Koynash