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MINSK, 22 August (BelTA) – The hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been imprisoned; over the past year more than a thousand Orthodox churches have been seized, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov said in the latest episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA's YouTube channel.
"The Kiev regime has banned the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church which, by the way, says prayers for the victory of the Ukrainian army. In any case, the Church behaves accurately so as not to give any reasons for the Kiev regime to launch repressions," Nikolai Azarov said.
Meanwhile, hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been imprisoned, he noted. "I raised this topic many times hoping to draw attention to this problem abroad. Can you imagine a church cardinal in Europe being imprisoned on a completely false charge? Moreover, the church hierarchs are elderly people and they have been arrested and persecuted. You can only imagine what’s happening to ordinary priests," he stressed.
According to Nikolai Azarov, over the past year more than a thousand Orthodox churches have been seized in Ukraine, and they stand actually empty now. "I cite these facts to make it clear that in the center of Europe, instead of creating a democratic regime, which they talked so much about, they created a Nazi regime. It is an absolute bankrupt in economic and financial terms and fulfills the only role, namely supplies cannon fodder to the frontlines in order to cause damage to Russia," the former Ukrainian prime minister said.
Meanwhile, hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been imprisoned, he noted. "I raised this topic many times hoping to draw attention to this problem abroad. Can you imagine a church cardinal in Europe being imprisoned on a completely false charge? Moreover, the church hierarchs are elderly people and they have been arrested and persecuted. You can only imagine what’s happening to ordinary priests," he stressed.
According to Nikolai Azarov, over the past year more than a thousand Orthodox churches have been seized in Ukraine, and they stand actually empty now. "I cite these facts to make it clear that in the center of Europe, instead of creating a democratic regime, which they talked so much about, they created a Nazi regime. It is an absolute bankrupt in economic and financial terms and fulfills the only role, namely supplies cannon fodder to the frontlines in order to cause damage to Russia," the former Ukrainian prime minister said.