The Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine has prepared another sanctions package against persons who persecute the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in the occupied Crimea.
"On Sunday, August 8, 2021, representatives of the so-called Center for countering extremism of the Russian occupation regime in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, headed by Major M. Horevanov, broke into the monastery of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica of the Crimean Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is located in the village of Balky, Bilohirsky District. Russian security forces forcibly forced the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Damian, to stop the service," the ministry's press service said. This was reported by Interfax.
It is noted that the occupiers motivated such actions by the fact that the service allegedly violates Russian legislation, namely, the decision of the so-called Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Crimea. Protocols were drawn up for all participants of the service.
The Ministry of Regional Integration regards this as another act of pressure from the Russian occupation administration on the residents of the temporarily occupied Crimea and condemns the gross violation of the rights of Ukrainian citizens to freedom of conscience and religion.
"Ukraine will continue to identify those involved in such violations in order to apply sanctions against them. Now the Ministry of Regional Integration has already prepared a sanctions package against persons who hinder the activities of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and it is expected that its adoption by the Cabinet of Ministers will take place in the coming days," the report says.
According to the ministry, this draft Act proposes the application of restrictive measures to judges of the Russian Federation and other officials involved in the persecution of the OCU community in Crimea - in particular, to the illegal alienation of the premises of the Cathedral of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr and Princess Olga in Simferopol, other religious buildings, damage to church property, persecution of the community.