Ukraine monastery raid as SBU targets Russian agents

Ukraine's information work has raided a historical monastery successful Kyiv successful an cognition it says was aimed astatine stopping Russian agents utilizing the tract for sabotage, quality oregon weapons.

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Christian monastery dates backmost to the 11th Century and is simply a spot of Ukraine's Orthodox Church (UOC).

The Church divided from the Moscow patriarchate aft Russia's invasion.

The schism was prompted by Russian Patriarch Kirill's enactment of the war.

Despite this, immoderate of the UOC's apical clergy person been accused of inactive covertly supporting Moscow, utilizing their presumption to power churchgoers.

The Kremlin said the raid was different onslaught by Kyiv connected Russian Orthodoxy.

The SBU information work successful Kyiv announced connected Tuesday it was conducting "counter-intelligence measures" to people the "subversive activities" of Russian peculiar services. It said determination was an accrued hazard of attack, sabotage and hostage-taking successful places that attracted ample groups of citizens.

The monastery, which is simply a Unesco World Heritage site, was 1 of a fig of Orthodox churches raided connected Tuesday, arsenic authorities responded to complaints that clergy had been glorifying Russia and could beryllium successful league with the Kremlin.

A transgression enquiry was opened a week agone aft a video emerged of pro-Russian propaganda being sung, referring to the awakening of Mother Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of being "at war" with the Orthodox Church for a agelong time. Patriarch Kirill condemned an "act of intimidation of believers".

As caput of the Russian Church, the patriarch is wide seen arsenic an state of President Vladimir Putin and has fixed his afloat backing to the Russian warfare successful Ukraine.

Shortly aft the penetration began, helium painted the warfare arsenic a conflict of "metaphysical significance" against misdeed and Western unit to clasp "gay parades".

More precocious helium said immoderate Russian who enlisted for combat successful Ukraine was committing "an enactment that is tantamount to a sacrifice".

In Ukraine the raids were broadly welcomed, due to the fact that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) divided from Moscow lone six months agone aft centuries nether its control, leaving a suspicion that it is inactive utilized by the Kremlin to sway nationalist sentiment successful Ukraine.

Since 2018, galore Orthodox parishes successful Ukraine person been joining a caller Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which was granted independency by the planetary Orthodox question a twelvemonth later.

However, talks aimed astatine unifying the country's Orthodox assemblage are yet to output immoderate tangible results.

Ukrainian governmental expert Valentyn Hladkykh said the clergy and believers of the UOC yet had to determine who they served: "God oregon the Kremlin executioner."