Zakharova commented on the shooting of a cooking show in Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

Those who organized the filming of a cooking show in Kiev-Pechersk Lavra were "driven mad", Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on 15 December. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on December 15.

"Why choose a holy shrine revered throughout the Orthodox world as a filming location - the question is senseless, and the answer is obvious: the devil has gone astray," Zakharova wrote in her Telegram channel.

She also added that Christian values in Ukraine are being destroyed and changed to ultra-nationalism and neo-Nazism. The broadcast of cooking "Ukrainian sacred dishes" against the background of crucified Christ is the best illustration of what is happening, Zakharova added.

However, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman noted that this show was received with horror and rejection by many in Ukraine.

It became known earlier in the day that Ukrainian chef and restaurateur Yevhen Klopotenko held a cooking show in the refectory of the church of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Employees of the TV channel that broadcast the show explained the decision to choose the location for filming by the fact that "church records often preserve recipes that are considered lost." These actions were criticized by Ukrainian believers. Thus, Archpriest Alexander Klymenko noted that there are dozens of other suitable locations for cooking shows in the city, adding that TV shows and "prayer breakfasts" should not be held in churches, they should be prayed in.

Kiev's persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate began in 2022, with clergy and monks facing criminal cases, being expelled from churches that were seized by unidentified men in military uniforms and PCU supporters. Temples, churches and even the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra were searched: they were looking for traces of "anti-Ukrainian activity". Believers tried to defend the churches, the seizure of which was almost always accompanied by violence, and went out to rallies.