Lawyer confirms that OCU will not demolish the Ukrainian church in Yevpatoria
This was reported on the air of Radio Krym.Realii Ukrainian lawyer and human rights activist Serhiy Zayats, commenting on the demand of the Russian authorities of Crimea for "voluntary demolition of the church until March 24."
"Nothing is happening to this temple at the moment, and I hope that nothing will happen. This is not the first term that the occupation authorities schedule for the voluntary dismantling of this church, and the administration of the Crimean diocese (OCU) does not intend to fulfill these illegal requirements. In this situation, this issue should be considered in conjunction with the process that is unfolding around the Cathedral in Simferopol. This is one of the episodes related to the destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox community in Crimea. In this case, there is nonviolent resistance of the Ukrainian Orthodox community in the occupation," Zayats said.
On March 15, metropolitan Klyment of the Crimean Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine received another demand from the Russian authorities of Crimea to dismantle the Ukrainian Church of the Dormition of the image of the Mother of God "Burning Bush" in Yevpatoria.
In the fall of 2020, the representative office of the president of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea reported that Klyment received a package of documents from the Russian Federal Bailiff Service for Crimea with a demand to dismantle the church in Yevpatoria by November 3, 2020, and pay a fine of 50 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens.
Then Klyment also stated that he would not demolish the church in Yevpatoria.
In December 2020, The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and all Ukraine, called absurd the demand of the Russian authorities in the annexed Crimea to demolish the Ukrainian temple in Yevpatoria. He noted that this was not the case even during the Soviet era.
He also asked President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Cabinet of Ministers and law enforcement agencies to take measures to stop pressure on the OCU in Crimea.
