Remember this, Ukrainian – all your troubles are blamed on Orthodox schools

School at the Holosiiv Monastery. Photo: Slidstvo.Info

While Ukrainians are suffering en masse from cold and blackouts after yet another wave of shelling, while NABU uncovers another disgraceful set of corruption facts involving the “powers that be”, the media somehow manage to find the most “urgent” topics for exposés. But not the ones who stole hundreds of millions from the energy sector, or those who paid for votes in the Verkhovna Rada. Instead, the media unleash a full-scale witch hunt against Orthodox schools – or against any institution where Russian is studied.

After the “investigation” into the school at the Holosiiv Monastery – where the administration had the audacity to teach children using a Ukrainian arithmetic textbook from 1966 – the media turned their gaze to an Orthodox gymnasium near Cherkasy. Another “investigative journalist” (this time from Suspilne) conscientiously tried to find something criminal – and couldn’t. So she had to present, as the “crime”, a sermon by Cherkasy Metropolitan Theodosiy about the meaning of Victory Day over Nazism (horrifying, right?) and footage from his court hearings.

Even so, the gymnasium (which in reality was a sole proprietor providing tutoring services) was visited by the SBU together with the local police chief, and unknown individuals mounted a surveillance camera on a pole nearby.

At the same time, TSN, Inter, and other major TV channels aired “incriminating” reports about a “Russian school” in Sumy. The journalists were practically collapsing under the weight of the terrible “crimes” allegedly committed there: teachers sang Soviet New Year’s songs with the children, taught Gzhel painting, and – of course – conducted lessons in Russian.

Sadly, our media have long been engaged in loud incitement of hatred toward people who harm no one at all. And, remarkably, this lines up perfectly with scandals around those who sit in high offices and funnel the people’s money into their bottomless pockets.

It is as though people are being told: don’t ask why you have no electricity, while the funds allocated for energy were stolen; don’t think about why thieves walk free, while MPs in the Rada vote for money. Don’t think at all – we’ll do your thinking for you.

All your troubles are the fault of Orthodox schools and “Moscow priests.”

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