Media slam Eurovision national selection interpreter for her loyalty to UOC

Olga Bunaziv. Photo: Bunaziv's Instagram

Ukrainian headlines targeted one of the sign language interpreters of the National Selection for Eurovision-2024 in Ukraine, Olga Bunaziv, for her affiliation with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and her active stance in defending her Church. Campaigns were initiated by outlets such as "Obozrevatel", "24 Kanal", "Bukvy", and others.

"Obozrevatel" wrote about Olga, stating that she turned out to be a "fan of the Moscow Patriarchate".

"Since March 2023, Bunaziv has actively informed almost 8 thousand of her subscribers about the 'canonical' and 'holy' church under the Moscow Patriarchate. The girl sincerely believes that the UOC is in no way connected with Russia, so 'all sins' cannot be blamed on it," the publication writes, portraying this as compromising information about her.

"24 Kanal" expressed outrage that Olga Bunaziv "spreads information about the UOC and sharply criticizes the ban of the Moscow Patriarchate, eviction of monks from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, and the transition from the UOC-MP to the OCU."

All publications quote dirty comments about Olga from social media users and insults directed at her.

The girl herself wrote about the religious situation in the country on her Instagram:

"In Ukraine, there is the UOC and the OCU. In the UOC, Metropolitan Onuphry was chosen by the Ukrainian people and the clergy. In the OCU, Epifaniy is a self-proclaimed metropolitan, no one chose him. Next is simple: the OCU united with the authorities and wants to destroy the UOC, spreading false rumors that this denomination:

1. works for Moscow,
2. serves in the Russian language,
3. sends all its funds to Russia.

So here it is:

1. This has never happened. There were relations, as we are neighboring states, trying to somehow establish things so that everything is good for us, and in the temples, they honored the name of Patriarch Kirill. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion by the UOC, having seen the true face of the enemy, all ties were severed.
2. The UOC serves in Church Slavonic, which has been around for a thousand years. Russian has nothing to do with it.
3. This also does not happen. It is very easy to add 'MP' and that's it – the UOC is guilty of all sins."

Earlier, the UOJ reported that nationalists included Lomachenko in the register of traitors due to his support for the UOC.

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