Representatives of the Crimean eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) and officers responsible for the military units located in Crimea conducted a round table in the city of Sudak (Crimean Autonomous Republic). The local FM station Trans-M-Radio reported on 28 September 2001 that the participants discussed the possibilities for cooperation and shared their knowledge.
According to the constitution and current legislation of Ukraine every soldier has the right and possibility to express his religious convictions. Therefore the most important religious holydays are celebrated among the army divisions in Crimea, with the participation of the clergy. The clergy also take part in military ceremonies, for example, the taking of the oath. They lead spiritual discussions and engage in other activities. High moral values such as patriotism and the conscientious carrying-out of military obligations unite the Church and the army, it was acknowledged at the meeting. Metropolitan Lazar of Symferopol and Crimea (UOC-MP) took part in the round table. Information for this article was taken from the Russian-language website of Trans-M-Radio, www.trans-m-radio.com.