Journalist Yaroslava Mishchenko published images of the deceased priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Myron Zvarychuk from Bucha after the city was liberated from occupation.
This was reported by Glavkom.
Mishchenko explained her action by stating that the shocking images are intended to demonstrate to Ukrainians what real persecution of the Church and clergy looks like. Representatives of the Moscow-affiliated Church in Ukraine and their curators in Russia have been alleging persecution for many years. However, no priest of the Moscow-affiliated Church was killed by Ukrainian military forces, while Russian occupiers destroy churches and kill clergy. This was reported by Glavkom.
The photos of the deceased Fr Myron Zvarychuk were published on Mishchenko's Facebook page.
Myron Zvarychuk was a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from Rosylna, near Ivano-Frankivsk, who lived in Bucha on Hrushevskoho Street. His whereabouts were unknown since March 3 when the occupiers arrived on Yablunska Street in Bucha. Zvarychuk went to get food and water from volunteers but did not return home.
According to the investigation, Russian military personnel knew that Father Myron Zvarychuk was a Ukrainian-speaking priest. They chased him down the street and then killed him. The photo was initially published by a Wall Street Journal reporter. Zvarychuk's son identified his father from the photograph, and the visual recognition took place at the end of April 2022.
"We 'oppress' them, and they simply kill us…" wrote Yaroslava Mishchenko on her Facebook page.
Mishchenko also explained that she unexpectedly received photo materials for her report from Bucha, where a communal grave appeared in the churchyard containing the remains of 116 people, including 30 women and two children. The church still displays boards with photographs of Bucha residents who were buried in its yard.
In the town of Bucha during the occupation, a communal grave appeared on the territory of the Ukrainian Church containing the remains of 116 people, including 30 women and two children. The church still has not removed stands with photographs of Bucha residents who were buried in its yard.
It's worth noting that on October 19, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported a bill to ban religious organizations associated with Russia. The decision was supported by 267 members of parliament, although some demanded not to vote for the bill, threatening divine punishment. The Moscow-affiliated Church expressed confidence that the aforementioned bill "does not comply with the Human Rights Convention and the Constitution of Ukraine.