Authorities freeze cases against Cherkasy UOC defenders to save face – media

Priests Roman Harkavenko and Oleksandr Smyk. Photo: Dozor

In early January 2025, criminal cases were promptly initiated against the priests who stood in defense of the St. Michael's Cathedral of the UOC in Cherkasy. The Telegram channel "Dozor" reports that this was a "kind of revenge" for the publication of the UN Monitoring Mission's report, which detailed the bloody raid by the OCU raiders.

The most notable cases were against priests Roman Harkavenko and Oleksandr Smyk. Both clergymen were attempted to be charged under Part 4 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – "Hooliganism".

"Five months have passed since the start of the trial, but the cases have not moved forward. According to our sources, court hearings are not being held because the truth about the beatings in the cathedral will inevitably come to light during the process. The court will have to reveal to the public what the hired militants of the OCU did," writes the Telegram channel.

"Dozor" believes that the process, initiated by the Prosecutor's Office itself, is not progressing precisely because the authorities do not want to disgrace themselves.

It is noted that the criminal proceedings, opened based on the testimony of the injured parishioners of the cathedral, are also at a standstill. Some injured Orthodox Christians are still recovering from the injuries inflicted by the OCU militants.

"The crime of Epifaniy's raiders in Cherkasy turned out to be so bloody that even the cases created by the authorities' order backfire on them," emphasize the Orthodox journalists.

As reported by the UOJ, the authorities of Cherkasy took away all the land under the churches from the UOC in the city.

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