Mass media: OCU parishioners trash Ukrinform office

Attack of the radicals from the organization "Traditions and Order" on the office of Ukrinform. Photo: Traditions and Order

Journalists of the portal “For Ukrainian Church”, whose publications are mainly aimed at supporting the UOC-KP, found out that believers of the OCU took part in the attack on the Ukrinform news agency on July 30, 2019.

“The people who beat the journalists are those who positioned themselves at St. Theodoius Monastery as believers of Epiphany Dumenko-Chokaliuk. Like priest, like parish,” the message says. As evidence, the staff of the “For Ukrainian Church” posted a photo of a group of people led by former MP Lozovoy near St. Theodosius Monastery of Kiev, which they had defended from seizure attempts (or returning under the control) of the Kiev Patriarchate.

Recall, three employees of Ukrinform agency were affected during the attack of the radicals, dressed in T-shirts with the words "Traditions and Order".

The head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, Sergey Tomilenko, described the incident as follows:

"Emergency!!!! The attack on the national agency “Ukrinform"! At least three employees of the agency were injured, in particular Sergei Sai-Bodnar, a head of the press room. The guys in T-shirts of the organization “Traditions and Order” tried to break the press conference at Ukrinform, beat the agency’s employees, broke down the door to the press center, threw eggs at the present and disrupted the event.”

He specified, referring to the deputy general director of Ukrinform, Irina Cherednichenko, that while breaking into the agency’s premises, the “activists” were pushing the Ukrinform staff members and at least three people were injured.

“The head of the press room, Sergei Sai-Bodnar, whom the thugs choked pulling away from the doors, came off the worst,” said Tomilenko.

In addition, he reported another two employees from the Technical Department of the agency were also hit.

The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine condemned a rude attack on the Ukrinform news agency and called on law enforcement officers to conduct a professional investigation.

As reported by the UOJ, on June 3, 2019, the MP from the Radical Party of Ukraine, Andrei Lozovoi, announced a possible seizure of St. Theodosius stavropegial monastery by the “non-existent” Kiev Patriarchate in Kiev, writing: "Our Church is the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, our Primate is Metropolitan Epiphanius."

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