AFU servicewoman to the President: Immediately stop persecution of the UOC

Orthodox medic soldier at the forefront. Photo: Telegram channel “MDefenders of Ukraine”

On December 6, 2022, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a military doctor, appealed to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a demand to stop the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The appeal was posted by the Telegram channel “MDefenders of Ukraine”.

“I watch with pain in my heart lawlessness being committed amid the warfare – the persecution of our faith,” said a female soldier on the front line. She introduced herself as "a junior sergeant, a combat medic and an Orthodox Christian", a parishioner of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Chernivtsi diocese.

The servicewoman spoke sharply about the actions of the SBU and demanded that those responsible for the lawless searches be punished. “I was very offended by the recent searches in the Bukovyna diocese, at Vladyka Meletiy’s and Archimandrite Nikita’s,” she said. The medic recalled that in the very first days of the war, the Bancheny monastery alone received more than five thousand refugees, and the Chernivtsi diocese sent hundreds of thousands of tons of humanitarian aid to the soldiers on the front lines.

“If conscience and truth matter to you, sort it out, conduct an official investigation, and you will see that all this is a blatant lie. These SBU people need to be punished,” the servicewoman urged the President. According to her, the persecution of the Church is the persecution of true patriots. By persecuting the UOC, the President makes a mistake.

“Take action, do not persecute our faith. You are very much mistaken. Because if you don’t, we will end this war, we will return and we will deal with it in a legal way,” the doctor promised.

The servicewoman emphasized that "owing to the prayers of the UOC priests and bishops, Ukraine is not torn apart yet."

“Stop persecuting us, restore justice,” the doctor called.

As the UOJ wrote, the soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine asked the authorities to stop the persecution of the canonical Church of Ukraine.

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