Ivan Prokopenko, the abbot of St. Sava the Sanctified monastery in occupied Melitopol, recently gave an interview to the religious propaganda channel Spas.
In a recent statement, Prokopenko asserted that Russia should reclaim Ukrainian territories as they were defined in 1939, according to reports from Donbas Patriot.
Directly quoting the collaborator in a cassock:
“I believe the minimum plan that would allow me to have a clear conscience is the borders of 1939. Ideally, of course, it would be the whole of Ukraine.”
Additionally, the archimandrite of the UOC-MP emphasized that nothing relating to Ukraine should be supported in the occupied territories. He referenced a central tenet of Russian propaganda about the concept of a “single people,” stating:
"Why shouldn't this be done? If Ukrainian identity as a phenomenon is something serious and fundamental, it will not disappear, even if it is neither preserved nor seen as genuine. From the perspective of the Russian world, Ukrainian identity is merely a regional characteristic of the Russian people."
According to information on the official website of the Zaporizhzhia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Ivan is currently an active clergyman there.
Screenshot from the diocese's website: