Ex-MP suggests swapping "price" for UOC priests
Ivan Stupak. Photo: Freedom
Former SBU officer and ex-MP Ivan Stupak suggested in an interview with Channel 24 on August 28, 2024, that imprisoned Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) priests could be used as valuable bargaining chips for exchanges with Russia. Stupak proposed that 25 such convicted priests might serve as significant leverage for negotiating the release of Ukrainian fighters, including those from the Azov Battalion.
According to Stupak, previous exchange experiences have demonstrated that Russia places high value on retrieving its priests. For instance, he noted that in Luhansk Oblast, one UOC priest was exchanged for 47 Ukrainian captives.
“If the Russians see a need for these priests, we might start negotiations not on a 1-to-1 basis, but rather 1-to-3 or 1-to-5. This is war; we’re trying to sell the 'goods' that we don’t need but are valuable to the Russians at a higher price,” Stupak emphasized.
He also mentioned that among the prisoners in Ukraine, there is a "Russian cleric" who, according to "church canons, is equivalent to at least an FSB colonel."
As reported by the UOJ, American lawyer Robert Amsterdam has warned that Ukrainian authorities could face repercussions for proposing the exchange of a UOC hierarch, as it severely violates international norms.
Read also
Sand for construction of Yermak’s residence brought from cemetery, MP says
MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak said that sand illegally removed from a cemetery in Ukrainka was used in the construction of the elite Dynasty cooperative in Kozyn.
Israeli soldiers receive jail terms for mocking statue of the Virgin Mary
Those involved in the act of sacrilege in the village of Debel will spend several weeks behind bars for desecrating a statue of the Mother of God.
Serbian Church officially receives back land of 15th-century monastery
An agreement was signed in Belgrade transferring the territory of the ancient Vojlovica Monastery to the Banat Eparchy.
Pat Daniiel comments on conflict between Phanar bishop and community in Turkey
The Bulgarian Primate believes that the hierarch of the Constantinople Patriarchate should not have forced the Bulgarian community in Edirne to serve in Greek.
Patriarch Bartholomew congratulates Patriarch Shio on his election
In his message of congratulations, Patriarch Bartholomew called for joint witness before the world within the framework of “pan-Orthodox unity.”
Georgian priest in Germany: Patriarch Shio will preserve Ilia II’s legacy
Priest Elias Schlepegrell, who was present at the election in Tbilisi, said there is a clear disposition toward preserving Ilia II’s line and the unity of the Georgian Church.