Rada appoints new Minister of Culture

Mykola Tochytskyi. Photo: t.me/stranaua

On September 5, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine appointed Mykola Tochytskyi as the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, according to the Strana publication.

252 members of parliament voted in favor of Mykola Tochytskyi's candidacy.

Mykola Tochytskyi is a diplomat who began his career in 1993 as an attaché and later secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2001, he was appointed as an advisor to Ukraine’s Permanent Representation to the Council of Europe, and in 2005, he became Consul General in San Francisco.

From 2010 to 2016, he served as Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, and from 2016 to 2021, he was the Ambassador to Belgium and concurrently the Representative of Ukraine to the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community.

In September 2021, Tochytskyi was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and on April 15, 2024, he became Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Previously, UOJ reported that Acting Minister of Culture Karandeev stated in May 2024 that UOC monks would be forcibly removed from the Lavra within a month.

Read also

Orthodox Church celebrates Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos

In 2026, the feast falls during Holy Week, and therefore no relaxation of fasting restrictions is permitted on this day.

Patriarch Theophilos addresses believers with words of support ahead of Pascha

The Primate of the Church of Jerusalem, in a video address, highlighted that even in conditions of war, Christians are not abandoned by God and place their hope solely in the Resurrection of Christ.

Muslims of Russia call war with Ukraine "sacred jihad"

The Mufti of Chechnya stated that all Islamic religious leaders should be ready to stand alongside RF soldiers.

Kyiv UOC Eparchy holds aid drive for children and people with disabilities

In Boyarka, Kyiv region, more than 50 families received food and clothing as part of a charitable outreach held on the eve of the feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.

New monastics tonsured at Putyvl’s Molchensky Convent

The ruling bishop of the Konotop Eparchy performed a monastic tonsure.

US Protestant Churches hold Easter events with drone shows and spectacles

Protestant communities in the United States marked Easter with large-scale events featuring drones, helicopters, and spectacle-driven shows aimed at drawing people in and conveying the Gospel message.