UOC reports over 240 million hryvnias in war aid

Refugees at the Sviatohirsk Lavra and UOC clergy. Photo: svlavra.church.ua

In its official reply to the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), which demands the elimination of alleged “signs of affiliation” with the Russian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church laid out in stark figures what it has actually done for its country. From the very first days of the full-scale war, the UOC has actively provided assistance both to the Ukrainian military and to the civilian population.

“Since the beginning of 2022, 193 vehicles have been purchased and handed over for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukrainian servicemen have received more than 1,037 tons of humanitarian aid (food, medicines, hygiene products, ammunition, camouflage nets, fuel, trench candles, generators, thermal imagers, electronic warfare devices, and construction materials). The total amount of financial and humanitarian aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine exceeded 66.5 million hryvnias. In addition, targeted assistance to servicemen is provided on a constant basis,” the Kyiv Metropolia noted.

In addition, clergy and faithful regularly donate blood for wounded soldiers, and hundreds of parishes have been transformed into volunteer centers supporting both the military and residents of frontline regions.

Since early 2022, the Church has also organized a large-scale humanitarian mission for the civilian population: about 8,000 tons of food, medicine, clothing, hygiene products, and household goods have been distributed. For frontline areas, additional deliveries included generators, fuel, and drinking water. The total value of this aid amounted to about 175 million hryvnias.

Across UOC eparchies during the war, nearly 1.5 million hot meals have been served. In Kyiv, more than 18,000 food packages have been distributed to displaced persons, and another 22,000 free meals were handed out at the city’s central railway station. More than 50,000 internally displaced persons have found shelter in monasteries of the Church, where many still live and receive all necessary support.

In total, the aid provided by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church during the war has exceeded 241.5 million hryvnias. The UOC emphasizes that this represents only part of its daily work, carried out in support of the people of Ukraine under conditions of Russian aggression.

As the UOJ reported, the Kyiv Metropolia has already responded to DESS regarding its directive to eliminate alleged “signs of affiliation” with the Russian Orthodox Church, declaring the order a fiction that has no relation to the UOC.

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