Putin says Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine is being "torn apart" and the rights of believers are being blatantly violated

The persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which is taking place in Ukraine, is a blatant violation of the rights of believers, but the world prefers not to notice it. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin during the "Results of the Year" on December 19.

"What is happening on the Russian Orthodox Church is a unique thing in general, simply unique. After all, it is a gross, just blatant violation of human rights, the rights of believers. The church is being torn apart before the eyes of the whole world. It's like a firing squad, but the whole world prefers not to notice it anyway. I think that those who do it, it will come back on them," - said the head of state.

He noted that those representatives of the Ukrainian authorities who oppose the Russian Orthodox Church cannot even be called atheists.

"Atheists are also people who believe in something. They believe that there is no God. But this is their belief, their conviction. And these are not atheists, they are just people without any faith at all, such godless people. They are ethnic Jews, but I don't think anyone has ever seen them in a synagogue. They're not Orthodox, so they don't go to church either. They are certainly not followers of Islam, because they hardly show up in mosques either. They are people without a family, without a tribe," Putin said.

The president expressed confidence that the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians still have an attitude towards Orthodoxy and will give the current authorities an appropriate assessment.

Earlier, on December 15, Ukrainian chef and restaurateur Yevhen Klopotenko held a cooking show in the refectory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra church. These actions were criticized by Ukrainian believers.

As Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate's synodal department for relations between the church and society and the media, commented on December 16, it has become the norm for the current Kiev regime to mock Orthodox believers. He added that Western countries cover up such things and do not prevent the Kiev authorities from destroying the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) with impunity.

Kiev's persecution of the canonical UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate began in 2022: criminal cases were brought against clergy and monks, they were expelled from churches, which were seized by unknown people in military uniforms and supporters of the PCU. 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.

The direct line with Vladimir Putin in 2024 is combined with a press conference for the media. The format, called "Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin," allows the president to convey his position not only on citizens' issues, but also on the state and world agenda, which is often asked about by journalists.

Representatives of Western media and foreign journalists accredited in Russia have also received invitations to the events. As of the morning of December 19, the number of requests sent to the direct line with the president exceeded 2 million.

The first live broadcast took place in December 2001. By the President's own admission, this event is the most powerful sociological poll, which allows citizens to convey their position and assessment of the country's leadership.

The latest news about the "Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin - 2024" - in the Izvestia story.