Investigation of Destruction of Cross on Askold's Grave Resumed

On the request of Oleksandr Bryhinets, a deputy of the faction Motherland of Yulia Tymoshenko in the Kyiv City Council, the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Pechesrk District of the capital canceled the resolution on the refusal to initiate proceedings and resumed the investigation of the act of vandalism, the destruction of the wooden memorial cross on Naberezhne Highway.

On the request of Oleksandr Bryhinets, a deputy of the faction Motherland of Yulia Tymoshenko in the Kyiv City Council, the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Pechesrk District of the capital canceled the resolution on the refusal to initiate proceedings and resumed the investigation of the act of vandalism, the destruction of the wooden memorial cross on Naberezhne Highway, the press service of Bryhynets reported.

“When vandalism is of no destructive character but only of a demonstrative character, one can at least understand it as an action of protest, such as frying eggs on the eternal fire or graffiti on houses and monuments. They are of an emotional, attitude, political character. But when someone resorts to destructive actions, breaking, burning, it is a completely different thing. These are irreversible actions which should be severely punished as they result in physical destruction of a material object of culture or spirituality,” said Bryhynets.

The deputy stressed that according to the Christian approach, the church and church community does not insist on punishing the vandals who destroyed the cross but that it is not an excuse for the police to put the case aside.

“Any unpunished act of vandalism, such as setting a historic building on fire, the destruction of the monument to Lesia Ukrainka, destruction of the memorial cross, should be punished and not just for the triumph of justice but to make sure that the unpunished actions do not become an example for other vandals. In this vein, the Christian tolerance and all-forgiveness do not coincide with the Criminal Code. As our state is a civil one and the church is separated from the state, the criminals should be punished. Demonstratively and publicly, as an example for others,” stated Bryhynets.

The press service reminded that in June, near the underground station Dnipro, in Namerezhne Highway, unknown persons sawed down and burned the Cross of the Memory of the Martyr for the Faith, Askold, which was 5 meter high, 30 centimeters in diameter and weighed 250 kilos. The cross was installed by the parishioners of the Church of St. Nicholas in 2007, on Askold’s grave, in the place where he was killed.