UOC-MP clergy keep blessing the occupiers to 'protect' Crimea from Ukraine
This was reported by 'Nevilnyj Krym' (Unfree Crimea).
More than fifty occupation marines arrived to listen to the story of the UOC-MP cleric about "pressing issues of the spiritual life of a believing warrior".
During the cultural part of the meeting, Iryna Polyvtseva acquainted the occupiers with her 'Patriotic' poems dedicated to military service, the 75th anniversary of the "Great Victory", the war in Chechnya, the family of the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and so on.
"It was pleasant to look at the thoughtful, enlightened faces of the soldiers guarding our borders," the website of the Deanery of Sevastopol the UOC-MP noted.
On the eve of August 20, Archpriest Sergiy, Dean of the Deanery of Sevastopol, together with the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy Mykola Yevmenov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet Igor Osipov, "Head of the Republic of Crimea" Sergiy Aksenov, Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of Sevastopol" Volodymyr Nemtsev and the so-called "acting Governor of Sevastopol" Mikhail Razvozzhaev laid flowers at the memorial of the defense of Sevastopol in 1941-1942, after which he blessed the leaders of the occupation fleet. They went to sea to follow the progress of the second stage of the exercise from the special types of support for the activities of the Russian Navy Forces.
These measures were part of exercises to ensure the activities of troops and military police training, which took place on August 10-21 at seven training grounds of the southern military district, including in the occupied Crimea. The particular exercises were a control stage in the preparation of military management bodies, formations and air defense units in the strategic command and staff exercises "Caucasus-2020".
Earlier, on August 12, during the funeral service for the deceased crew of the Russian submarine "Kursk" during a speech, Serhiy Khalyuta wished that the Lord supported with their prayers the modern soldiers who "perform their feat in the fleets of our Russian power".
During the above-mentioned exercises, Archpriest Vasyl Gumarov, assistant to the Dean of the Deanery Sevastopol of the UOC-MP in work with religious service members of the occupation contingent, took part in the events. In particular, on August 11, he went to a military training ground as part of a mobile group of psychologists and military clergy to work with military personnel in the field; at the location of the occupation troops, he installed a portable chapel, where he served a prayer service and held a conversation about religious freedom in the Russian army and the rights of religious service members.
On August 17, in the division of surface ships, Gumarov conducted a prayer service before the ship went to sea for a combat mission, after which he continued working with the young novices in the deployed mobile temple.
On August 19, together with Archpriest Igor Tyshkevich, rector of the Church of Archangel Michael, he took part in a meeting of representatives of the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces.
Priests of the UOC-MP served a prayer service on board the frigate "Admiral Essen", blessed the crew to perform a combat mission and organized the deployment of a mobile group to organize work with the occupying soldiers who take part in combat operations.
On August 19, in the coastal defense brigade, Gumarov blessed military equipment and held a conversation with the occupying military personnel regarding "the need to continue the spiritual life of a Christian in every possible way, despite the difficulties and inconveniences of field service conditions".
On August 16, the 810th separate marine brigade received a myrrh-streaming icon "Softening of evil hearts" from the village of Bachurino in the Moscow region of the Russian Federation; military chaplains Sergei Polyvtsev and Oleksandr Grygoriev sprinkled holy water on the occupying soldiers after prayer and anointed them with the icon's myrrh.
