The UOC-MP called the organizer of the "anti-Bartholomew" protests in Kyiv a provocateur and fraudster

This is reported by the Information and Educational Department of the UOC-MP.

The letter of Metropolitan Onufriy says that the organizers tried to publish their actions as events of the UOC-MP.

"In this regard, we remind you that V. Lukiyanik and the All-Ukrainian Orthodox Brotherhood have nothing in common with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and do not have our blessing for their activities.

We sadly state that the behavior of Lukiyanik Valentin shows that he is a provocateur and a fraudster who misleads our believers," His Eminence notes.

It should be noted that the rallies were held against the visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in the capital of Ukraine, with the participation of pro-Russian figure Valentin Lukyanik.

The protesters came out with placards featuring "Suitcase, Railway station, Phanar", "Bartholomew is a dissenter of Orthodoxy", "Bartholomew is a heretic", "Bartholomew is a liar ", "Bartholomew – burn in hell".

Valentin Lukiyanik, as you know, was the chairman of pro-Russian Orthodox organizations. Thus, he presided over the "Kyiv Orthodox Brotherhood of St Michael the Archangel" under the omophorion of the UOC-MP, and was also co-chairman of the "Union of Orthodox Fraternities of Ukraine and Russia".

Lukiyanik also held rallies against the visit of Patriarch Bartholomew in 2008.

On July 24, 2017, Valentin Lukiyanik took part in the conference of the public movement "Ukrainian Choice – the Right of the People", headed by Viktor Medvedchuk, in Kyiv. The conference was dedicated to the 1029th anniversary of the baptism of Rus. However, it was mainly about the dangers of European integration.