Former UOC-MP clergyman calls Ukrainians 'idiots and traitors' for their willingness to defend Ukraine with weapons

This is reported by "Religion in Ukraine" citing Рolitnavigator.net.

Russian military commander Dmytro Steshin was recently surprised by the results of a sociological survey conducted by Lviv company "Rating". 60% of respondents said that they are ready to defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine with weapons in their hands in the event of a threat.

"The absolute majority of Ukrainians consider themselves patriots, almost 60% are ready to defend Ukraine with weapons in their hands. An unpleasant figure for the survey, but we have an accurate answer to the question: "Why didn't Russia liberate Ukraine in 2014," Steshin commented on the results of the survey.

Archpriest Andriy Novikov, former Secretary of the Diocese of Odessa, who has been a member of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission and the Inter-Conciliar Presence of the Russian Orthodox church for more than ten years, and has been appointed rector of the Trinity Church on Vorobyovy Gory in Moscow by Patriarch Kirill since 2014, disagreed with him.

"First of all, there are many people who are Russians and support Russia, and they need to be protected and saved, no matter how many idiots and traitors there are. If they were given a certain "Kursk" in 1991, and the conscious ones were educated in Kursk, this would not mean that Kursk should not be saved or returned. Secondly, it is simply an illegally isolated indigenous territory of Russia, regardless of what the propaganda-washed lard lovers believe. There are higher values than the "opinion of the inhabitants", and such values include the unity of the Russian land and the mission of a united Russian state," the titled theologian of the Russian Orthodox Church believes.

In Moscow, archpriest Andriy Novikov is also known for organizing events in his church to "debunk the myth of Ukrainism", train "Russian motorcyclists in public service, and fight for Novorossiya", considering Ukraine "the so-called Ukrainian state".

In 2015, archpriest Andriy Novikov bluntly told the faithful: "We have no one in this world but Russia and its president."