AUCCRO calls on Kremlin to release Ukrainian sailors and other captives
Heads of Ukrainian Churches and Religious Organizations demand that the Russian authorities release Ukrainian sailors from under arrest, following the Russian armed aggression in the Kerch Strait three weeks ago.
Such a statement was adopted by the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on December 17, 2018, during a field meeting held in Zbarazh castle, which was chaired by Rabbi Yakov Dov Bleich, Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine, according to the Institute of Religious Freedom.
The AUCCRO also called on Russian religious leaders to support their appeal to the Kremlin, demanding respect for international law and the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The heads of Ukrainian denominations expressed their support to the families of captive Ukrainian sailors as well as to all hostages and political prisoners held captive by the Russian authorities, including in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in Crimea, as well as in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.
The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations invites all believers and all local religious communities to pray for the release of Ukrainian sailors and other captives of the Kremlin during liturgies in the coming days – on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday (December 21-23).
During the on-site meeting, the AUCCRO also discussed issues of state-confessional relations in Ukraine, the development of military and medical chaplaincy, the preservation of the institution of the family in the context of gender ideology being imposed, and ensuring a transparent and fair electoral process in 2019.
