Clampdown on UOC KP in Crimea: how Kiev Patriarchate is thwarted to make money

In the middle of July a lot of Ukrainian outlets released outright publications that the authorities in the Crimea literally throw the Kiev Patriarchate out of its premises which place an active Cathedral at 17a Sevastopolskaya Street in Simferopol. Yet is it actually so as it is highlighted by the Ukrainian media?

Now we are approaching the most interesting point – how EXACTLY the Kiev Patriarchate used these premises.

Should the Church be "with the people" or with God?

The authorities do not need patriots – they need the obedient. Why attempts to prove loyalty do not stop the persecution, and how this ended for the Church in the 20th century.

The implications of recognizing Pochaiv Lavra's "affiliation"

DESS has recognized the Pochaiv Lavra as affiliated with the ROC on the grounds that the Lavra belongs to the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC. This is a step toward banning the monastery. But it is also a template that will be applied further.

Forgiving one's enemies: betrayal, foolishness, or faithfulness to Christ?

War is a moment of truth. It places people in circumstances where obeying Christ's commandments becomes especially difficult. Yet it is precisely in such moments that it becomes clear who truly belongs to Christ – and who does not.

Avraamiy and the void: Why the OCU dismissed its "abbot of the Lavra"

The OCU’s “abbot of the Lavra” began building direct ties with Ukraine’s top leadership – and was promptly dismissed.

Pantheon instead of monastery: For whom Lavra’s Far Caves were “opened”?

The authorities have ceremonially “opened” the Far Caves that they themselves closed three years ago. Is monastic life returning? No. A very different future is being prepared for the Lavra.

Why did Zelensky receive OCU’s “Lavra abbot”?

A strike on the Dormition Cathedral, a national pantheon, and a deferential smile – how Avraamiy Lotysh went from an obscure figure to a man granted access to the highest office in the land.