UOC-MP Metropolitan called Ukrainian authorities the "beast" at war with the saints

This was reported by Glavkom.

"Atheists are determining the canonical status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This is the same beast that was wounded in 1988. All these atheists were barking at the Church like Moska at an elephant, but no one paid attention to them. And now the deadly wound of this red beast has healed, and the red beast is given the task of waging war against the saints and conquering them. And this is happening right now. These people, unbelievers (the Ukrainian authorities - Glavkom), determine the canonical status of our Church. We are an independent church, not dependent on any center, neither in Moscow, nor in Rome, nor in Istanbul, but in Kyiv. We are the same Church as other Orthodox Churches in the world. These people, non-believers, are determining the canonical status of our Church. Someone wants to wage a war within the country, which is already at war. They have designated an enemy, and they have appointed us (UOC-MP - Glavkom) as this enemy," said the UOC-MP archbishop.

Metropolitan Yevlogy also compared contemporary Ukraine to the Soviet Union, alleging supposed "persecution of faith." Additionally, he called on believers to "go underground" and "continue their mission if the churches are taken away."

It is worth noting that comments on the video have been disabled to prevent outraged believers from expressing their views on the statements made by the Moscow Patriarchate archbishop.

Recall that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine, Metropolitan Yevlogy (UOC-MP) issued an order to cease the traditional commemoration of the Moscow Patriarch at all services in all the diocese's churches. However, the clergyman later changed his position and apologized to the Patriarch of the Russian Church.