The Ukrainian state must protect citizens from the ideology of the "Russian World", which is the ideology of Nazism, - the Head of the OCU

"Today, we received two pieces of news – the joyful news that the Kyiv region has been liberated, but we also received terrible footage of the killing of civilians. It is difficult to even explain and understand how civilians, innocent people, and children are being killed. And this is also justified because we are talking about the so-called "Russian World" ideology, co-created and spiritually inspired by the head of the Moscow Patriarchate, Kirill Gundyaev. Today we have heard that the Russian people are peace-loving, and we hear again about the peoples of Holy Russia. But the ideology of the "Russian world", as we can see, justifies murder, violence, war, and therefore this ideology of the "Russian world", along with the ideology of Nazism, should be rejected and condemned," stated Metropolitan Epifaniy, according to Ukrinform.

He added that this is a church that blesses terror, practically blesses killing its faithful, because, in Ukraine, there are still many who are part of the Russian Orthodox Church.

"And so now the state is called upon to protect Ukrainians from the influence of this ideology of the "Russian world" - just as pro-Russian channels that influenced the consciousness of Ukrainians were banned, and parties in the Verkhovna Rada were also banned. And now, we are not talking about a ban but about protecting the Ukrainian population from the influence of this ideology. Therefore, we are called to protect Ukrainians from further this institutional influence that the Moscow Patriarchate has in Ukraine – because they are inextricably linked with the Russian Orthodox Church and are part of it," the Metropolitan said.

He stated that the Moscow Patriarchate is limited to silence. They do not justify the war, yet they do not condemn it. But such things that we now see in Ukraine can only be compared with Nazism, the Primate of the OCU stressed.