The Russian Orthodox Church announced the split of the OCU in Ukraine and the seizure of the lavra in the interests of the West

The civil war in Ukraine is increasingly becoming religious, and this proves that the events taking place are a carefully thought-out "diabolical plan" that is being carried out in the interests of Western countries.

In the Chernivtsi region, believers took up a circular defense to protect the Assumption Cathedral from the Nazis from the "Right Sector" (an organization recognized as a terrorist and banned in the Russian Federation). In Kiev, Bandera members are already openly mocking the relics that have been in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra for centuries.

Izvestia's exclusive footage from the scene shows that police are on duty at the entrance to the lavra. The near and Far caves with the relics of saints have been sealed, and the locks on the doors have been changed to check the "inventory commission."

"They cut off the locks, put up their bells, they want to expel the monks. They want the OCU (Orthodox Church of Ukraine. — Ed.)," said one of the parishioners.

In Cherkassy, Metropolitan Theodosius warns that raiders from the schismatic OCU will seize new Orthodox churches.

"We are the same citizens of Ukraine. And what is being done against us is a genocide based on religion, which fully falls under the UN Genocide Convention," he said.

At the same time, Metropolitan Theodosius speaks Ukrainian, without trying to get involved in politics, which is very correct, said Izvestia correspondent Nikolai Ivanov. In October 2024, the priest was already beaten by raiders and Bandera. Another 12 people were injured in the attack on the temple.

The split of the church in Ukraine is taking place in the interests of the West, since Orthodoxy is the foundation that binds Ukraine and Russia, and the Western world needs to destroy it. All this is just a continuation of the Nazi tradition.

"The objects of bullying are like the core, they are the remains of those believers who are associated with Russian Orthodoxy. It is the memory of this Russian history, culture and faith that the Ukrainian government is trying to erase from the minds of Ukrainians," said Vakhtang Kipshidze, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Synodal department for Church-Society Relations and the media.

The caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra have been captured in Ukraine. What you need to know

As political scientist Vadim Mingalev, Candidate of Historical Sciences, told Izvestia on April 2, Ukraine's actions in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra are the destruction of all that is most sacred. According to the expert, the Ukrainian side has forgotten that the Orthodox faith has very deep roots, which consist in great spirituality. This indicates Kiev's misunderstanding that they "succumbed to Satanism," but later the spirituality of the Russian people will unite and lead to the fact that they "will receive the punishment of the Lord," concluded Mingalev.

On April 1, the Ukrainian authorities changed the locks at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra and set up a cordon at the caves where the relics of more than 100 Russian ascetics are kept. It was noted that the relics were placed at the disposal of a certain inventory group. Thus, under the leadership of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the process of plundering values that are primarily of spiritual value to the Orthodox and Christian world has actually begun.

The Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ) announced the beginning of the seizure of the Nearby caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra on March 28. It was noted that police officers entered the closed premises of the monastery. One of the employees of the lavra was spotted on the territory with a saw grinder in his hands. On March 6, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine announced that a special commission would assess the condition and safety of the relics of saints in the Near and Far caves of the Kiev Caves Lavra.