Waiting for the authorities to start swearing at the UOC?

Mykola Tochyskyi. Photo: Tochytskyi's Facebook

In reality, this was just the pretext for a shocking outburst. Speaking about the transfer of the Assumption Cathedral in Kaniv – seized from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and handed over to the OCU – Tochytskyi claimed the church had been “freed from the parasitism of Moscow clergy.”

That wasn’t all. Referring to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, he said it should be free of the “Moscow spirit,” and went so far as to declare that “Moscow priests desecrated the Lavra.”

Yes, that’s the Minister of Culture speaking.

He continued: “The process of cleansing Ukraine’s shrines is a priority that requires decisive action – especially since Moscow religious organizations are banned by law.”

Let’s be clear. There are three key points behind this stream of propaganda:

1. The claims of 'destruction' and 'parasitism' are outright lies.
In Kaniv, the UOC community received a semi-ruined church back in 1990 and restored it with their own hands. Now it's being handed over – fully renovated – to the OCU. As for the Lavra, the “museum-run” Upper Lavra is falling apart: peeling walls, collapsing crosses, years without repairs. Meanwhile, the “monastic” Lower Lavra under the UOC is pristine, immaculate. Who’s destroying what again?

2. As a government official, Tochytskyi is supposed to uphold the law – not rewrite it.
The monks of the Lavra are not there illegally; their legal status is currently under review in court. To justify their expulsion with talk of a “ban on Moscow religious organizations” is legally absurd. Has Tochytskyi even read Draft Law 3894? It states that each UOC community must be individually proven to have ties to Moscow before any action can be taken. Until then, all these “Moscow” labels are just smear tactics – slander masquerading as policy.

3. And finally – the Minister of Culture speaks like a street radical.
Calling Ukrainian clergy and faithful “parasites,” using terms like “Moscow priests,” talking about “cleansing” shrines – this isn’t the language of a statesman. It’s the rhetoric of an online agitator.

The previous Minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, posted images of the Motherland Monument giving the middle finger and proudly supported LGBT campaigns. The current one speaks like a far-right activist Karas.

At this rate, we’re only one step away from hearing open profanity from the Ministry of Culture aimed at the Church.

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