The abbot told the details of the liberation of the Gornal monastery
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) shelled the St. Nicholas Belogorsky Monastery in the Kursk region until the dome caught fire and a fire broke out. Abbot Pitirim (Plaksin), abbot of the monastery, told Izvestia about this on April 22.
He added that during the offensive, the Russian military targeted mainly administrative and household buildings where Ukrainian militants were hiding, but never attacked even destroyed churches.
"Our temples, for us the sacred buildings in which we prayed, were smashed on the first day of the Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive in the Kursk region. And when our armed forces liberated the monastery and drove out the Ukrainian Armed Forces, they tried in every possible way to avoid any shelling, even of ruined churches," the rector shared.
He also denied information that appeared in the media and social networks about the existence of an underground passage under the monastery, which leads to the Sumy region of Ukraine.
"For a quarter of a century, we have not discovered any underground passage. I think this is nothing more than some kind of fairy tale or myth," said Plaksin.
He also explained that the monastery rises about 200 m above the river and has a hilly terrain, so it is almost impossible to dig a tunnel in such conditions. In addition, Abbot Abbot Pitirim expressed the hope that in the near future it will be possible to inspect the condition of the monastery for the degree of destruction and subsequently return to the monastery.
Earlier that day, Russian military personnel liberated the Gornal St. Nicholas Belogorsky Monastery in the Kursk region from the occupation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is noted that the monastery served as a military facility for Ukrainian militants, on the territory of which artillery installations and drone control points were located.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
