Zelensky hosts "military breakfast" in Kyiv Lavra's Refectory Church

Zelensky's address in the Refectory Church of the Lavra. Photo: President's website

On December 6, 2024, Ukraine's Armed Forces Day, President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a speech in the Refectory Church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra during a "military prayer breakfast," reports the President's website. A platform was constructed for his address, while attendees were seated at tables. Screens on either side of the platform displayed a close-up view of the President.

In his speech, Zelensky thanked chaplains "who stand alongside our warriors on the front lines and do not hide from everything they endure there.." He also urged "all denominations" to engage in "vital and necessary" chaplaincy work. However, he did not clarify whether this included the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which has been prohibited by the Verkhovna Rada from having chaplains.

The event was attended by leaders and representatives of various religious organizations, including the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Epifaniy Dumenko, Roman Catholic Bishop Vitaliy Kryvytskyi, representatives of Protestant denominations, Muslims, and others.

Previously, the UOJ reported that on November 4, 2024, the head of the radical nationalist group "Brotherhood", Dmytro Korchynsky, held a "prayer gathering" in the Refectory Church of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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