OCU cleric refers to anniversary of Odesa tragedy as “Barbecue Day”

Yasenets congratulated Ukrainians on May 2 as "Barbecue Day." Photo: Yasenets’ Facebook

On the anniversary of the tragedy at Odesa’s Kulikove Field, Yaroslav Yasenets, a cleric of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), posted a message on Facebook stating:

“Congratulations to all involved on Barbecue Day (some of them have already received eternal life in battle).”

This statement was published on May 2, marking the 11th anniversary of the 2014 fire in the Odesa Trade Unions House, in which 42 people died. Yasenets later deleted the post but left up another one in which he is shown holding a skewer of grilled meat.

In the comments under his post, the OCU cleric wrote: “I suggest we observe a moment of silence on Barbecue Day – in memory of Odesa's liberation from the 'separs' [separatists].”

One of his followers, Oleksii Tkachenko, commented: “A reenactment of the events in Odesa 11 years ago.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Yasenets had urged staff of Ukraine’s military enlistment offices to pray to Saint John the Warrior for help in catching draft dodgers, claiming that the saint aids in tracking down runaway slaves and servants.

Read also