Russians in Istanbul harassed Exarchs and threatened with “aggravation” over Tomos

On October 10, 2018, the second day session of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was held in Constantinople. On October 11, its members will continue their work, and will publish a press release upon its completion.

Yaroslava Mishchenko, a well-known Ukrainian journalist who is currently in Istanbul, wrote this on her Facebook page.

Ms. Mischenko said that the exarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Archbishop Daniel of Pamphylia and Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the United States and Bishop Ilarion of Edmonton and the Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada, arrived at the Synod to present their report.

In a short conversation with the media, exarchs shared their hopeful prospects on the Tomos.

Yaroslava Mishchenko also noted that a minor conflict took place between the Ukrainian and Russian journalists before the beginning of the Synod session.

"Several days before leaving [for Istanbul], I listened to Russian channels and studied the attack vectors. And I decided: no worries, a few days and it will become unimportant. But the Russians were annoying the TV journalists. When the Russians followed the exarchs in their tracks, demanding an answer: “What if there is an aggravation after the Tomos?” A reporter from  a Ukrainian TV channel STB could not stand it and asked loudly: “And what if aggravation happens to your microphone?” Yaroslava wrote.

“And she came closer. "Have you already done everything so that the aggravation takes place?” I supported her with the question.

“We are simply asking,” they answered, however, hiding the microphone.

As reported, the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate began in Constantinople on October 9.