"Cyborg" details how UOC organized a prisoner exchange

The prisoner exchange in the "306-for-74" format was due to the active participation of the hierarchs of the UOC and personally His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine. This was reported by the commander of the 1st company of the 90th separate landing assault battalion of the 81st airmobile brigade, which in 2014 participated in the battles for the Donetsk airport, the head of the public organization "Protection and Justice" Sergei Biloshitsky on the air of the CK1 channel.

Biloshitsky said that he and his colleague, the volunteer Viktor Kononenko, initiated the idea of a prisoner exchange and appealed for support to Metropolitan Nikodim of Zhitomir and Novograd-Volynsky, and, having received his blessing, went to Kiev to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine.

According to him, many hierarchs of the UOC participated in the process: both the Primate and the Chancellor of the UOC, Metropolitan Anthony of Borispol and Brovary, Archbishop Clement of Nezhin and Priluki, Bishop Viktor Baryshevsky and other bishops.

He explained that the Primate headed the negotiations on behalf of the UOC. "His Beatitude Onufry is everything, as a leader, he took the lead, he did everything nicely. This proves once again that this man is not just popular among us, the flock, but he is one of the world's top ten powerful monks," he said.

He also explained that earlier some users of social networks expressed dissatisfaction that the "cyborgs" in gratitude for the release of Taras Kolody gave the Primate the flag as a gift with the signatures of fighters of the 90th separate airmobile battalion. "The flag is not worth what His Beatitude Onufry has done to date. Everyone who said something to me – I read the Bible, I forgive everyone," he said.

Earlier, Archbishop Clement of Nezhin and Priluki reported that the UOC, taking the most active part in the exchange of prisoners, distances itself from the political component of this process.

The prisoner exchange took place on December 27 in the "306-for-74" format.

Read also

UOJ opens a branch in Serbia

The new European organization Union of Orthodox Journalists has opened a branch in Serbia.

UOC believer tried in Rivne for "offending" OCU

According to the court, the defendant’s comments on social media contained derogatory descriptions of OCU parishioners.

Amsterdam: In Ukraine, children of Christ are repressed with American funds

At the Religious Freedom Summit in the U.S., UOC lawyer Robert Amsterdam spoke about the government's repression against the UOC.

Son of UOC priest from Ovruch Diocese killed on the frontline

The soldier had been considered missing in action for a long time.

Google scraps diversity hiring policies

The company has joined other tech giants in scaling back diversity and inclusion programs.

Trump announces the creation of a commission on religious liberty

A task force will be established in the U.S. to root out "anti-Christian bias" within federal government structures.