The first destroyed temple under Zelensky
On the night of 17 May 2024, the Ukrainian authorities destroyed their first temple.
Yes, before this, a UOC temple was demolished in Lviv. But that was a personal initiative by Sadovyi, whereas in Kyiv such an act could not have occurred without authorization from Bankova Street. That is why one day historians will call the destruction of the Tithe Church a landmark event in our future history.
It often happens in history that not the most significant event becomes a symbol of great changes, marking an entire period of history. Zelensky's team destroyed their first temple. One can say as much as they like that it was not a non-capital structure, a small architectural form (SAF), in legal terminology. One can say that not all the numerous bureaucratic documents were fully processed during its construction, that there is a court decision ordering its demolition, and so on. But let's think about it: if the construction of the temple was indeed illegal, if its demolition was lawful, if society (as the authorities claim) was against this temple, then why was the temple demolished at night? Why was it done during curfew, when law-abiding citizens are forbidden to be on the streets? Why were numerous fully armed police officers involved? Why were people in military uniforms called in to demolish the temple? Why was mobile communication in the area of the temple jammed? Why were people prevented from filming what was happening? Why were the monastery brethren not allowed to save the sacred items inside the temple? What was the point of all this if the authorities assured that the demolition of the temple was completely legal?
The point is that the authorities knew exactly what they were doing, which is why they did it under the cover of night. That's why they brought in armed law enforcement, and that's why they organized it like a full-blown military operation. The authorities knew perfectly well that they were committing an unlawful act, but they did it anyway. The talk about the temple lacking proper documentation, that its construction was illegal, and that its demolition was carried out by court order is nothing more than a fig leaf designed to cover the disgrace of the Ukrainian authorities.
Firstly, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of illegally constructed objects in Kyiv. And these are not just commercial points near metro lines or in the Dnieper conservation zone. Entire residential complexes have been built illegally. A Google search for "illegal constructions in Kyiv" revealed, for example, that in the Holosiivskyi district alone, the following were illegally built: the "Tikhoretsky" residential complex at 30/7 Tikhoretska St., "Panoramne Mistechko" residential complex at 24 Raketna St, a residential complex at 9-9A Motorniy Lane, a residential complex at 34 Vasylkivska St., the "Teremok" residential complex at 2-D Williams St., the "G-House" residential complex at 74 Hvardiiska St., the "Symphony" residential complex at 66-70 Nauky Avenue, the "Mozaika" residential complex at 53 Stratehichne Highway, the "Mriya" residential complex at 42-A Nauky Avenue. And this is just one district of the capital! Is anyone planning to demolish them?
Secondly, the destroyed Tithe Church was built in 2006. That means it has stood for nearly 20 years, surviving three presidents, with the fourth deciding to demolish it. It is not to say that during this time there were no discussions about the appropriateness of building this church and processing all the necessary permits for it. Yet, no one demolished it. And now, when the country is at war, when consolidating society is a necessary condition for victory in this war, the authorities demolish a temple, simply splitting the Ukrainian people in half.
Thirdly, when the Bolsheviks demolished churches, they also did so legally. They also had everything properly documented in full accordance with the legislation of the time. And it wasn't just churches that were demolished legally. The export of grain from Ukraine in 1932-33 was also done legally. Yet now in Ukraine, the Soviet authorities are cursed, streets are renamed, writers are banned, and people think that this purges the Bolshevik spirit from Ukrainian national consciousness.
No, Bolshevism is something entirely different. Bolshevism is when political expediency dominates over human rights, when those who speak out about lawlessness are imprisoned instead of those who seize others' property, when the government disregards its people, establishes an autocratic regime, forces the populace to sacrifice everything and embezzles billions from the budget. And this Bolshevism, as we see, has deeply infiltrated the flesh and blood of our current rulers. It cannot be eradicated by simply renaming streets.
Let's close our eyes and answer a few questions. In which country are bishops imprisoned for preaching? In which country are journalists jailed for speaking the truth? In which country are monasteries closed and monks expelled? In which country do the authorities destroy Christian churches? In which country do the authorities support a church they created and crack down on anyone who disagrees with it? If we keep our eyes closed, we might say that all this happened in the USSR, and we would be right. But when we open our eyes, we see that today in Ukraine, Metropolitan Arseniy of Sviatohirsk is detained for giving a sermon, and journalists V. Stupnitsky, A. Ovcharenko and V. Bobechko are jailed for speaking the truth. The authorities have closed the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and are expelling the monks. The Tithe temple is destroyed. While the OCU created by the authorities is declared a state attribute, contrary to the Constitution, and any criticism of it is now considered treason. So, in which country do we live: in a democratic, legal and free Ukraine or in a totalitarian USSR?
All the circumstances surrounding the demolition of the Tithe Church indicate that the authorities knew exactly what they were doing and that the claims about the legality of the temple’s construction were not decisive. The authorities simply decided to break their people, or at least a part of them, by force. We are presented with various social surveys claiming that the majority of people do not support the Church. But first, we all know the manipulative nature of these surveys. Second, they are the result of a widespread media and social media campaign to defame the Church with baseless accusations. And third, no matter how you look at it, both surveys and even statements from officials indicate that there are about 6 million believers in the UOC. Is there any other country in the civilized world where the authorities would blatantly infringe upon the rights of such a large segment of society? And how will this part of society view the authorities after they take away the most sacred thing from them—their churches?
How many UOC believers are currently at the front, how many are shedding their blood, risking their lives to defend our country? It can confidently be said that it is tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, because, as popular wisdom states, there are no atheists at the front. We can project the number of 6 million believers out of 30 million citizens who are, at best, in the country, onto the approximate number of the AFU. What will these warriors think of the Ukrainian authorities when they hear these authorities destroying their churches? And how many UOC believers, often giving their last savings, donate to the Armed Forces, raise money for drones, vehicles and personal protective equipment, and send all this to the front? Will they continue to do so after the authorities cruelly trample on their religious feelings?
Everyone knows that in war, motivation and fighting spirit play a huge, if not decisive, role, enabling people to work out miracles and achieve victory where it seems impossible. What fighting spirit will our soldiers have after the authorities demolished an Orthodox church in the center of Kyiv? Won’t they be asking themselves: what are we fighting for, after all? So that the authorities can continue destroying churches, persecuting believers and imprisoning those who dare to disagree?
The Tithe Church has been destroyed twice before: once by the hordes of Khan Batu in 1240, and the second time by the Bolsheviks in 1928. Whom do today’s Ukrainian authorities resemble? Batu came and went, but the Bolsheviks ruled Ukraine for more than half a century after the destruction of the Tithe Church. This is probably what V. Zelensky is counting on. His team tirelessly talks about the need for all Ukrainian citizens to unite, mobilize and help the front in any way they can. Those who can – go to fight, those who cannot – work on the home front and support our warriors. All this is right, but the team’s words do not match their actions. We won’t even talk here about the appalling corruption in military procurement, the incompetence of officials and the lawlessness and irresponsibility at all levels of state administration. Let’s focus only on what concerns the Church directly.
As we know, V. Zelensky came to power criticizing the previous president, P. Poroshenko. One point of this criticism was church policy. Zelensky criticized, including in parodies by Kvartal 95, Poroshenko’s interference in church affairs, his manual creation of the OCU, his trips to Istanbul to beg for the Tomos, and so on. As a candidate, Zelensky promised that if elected president, the state would treat everyone equally and act within the law. He criticized the previous authorities for dividing the people of Ukraine, artificially creating tensions in society. Here is a quote from his 2019 election program: “For 28 years, we have been promised a society of equal opportunities, but each time we have been divided by different criteria. In reality, there is only one division: we and they. We are the people of Ukraine. They are the 'political pensioners' who 'migrate' from power to opposition, from party to party, and constantly create advantageous positions for themselves, hiding behind immunity.” Now, Zelensky has far surpassed his predecessor. He not only interferes in church affairs like Poroshenko but also imprisons bishops, favours the seizure of churches, persecutes church journalists and now even destroys churches. By doing all this, he divides the Ukrainian people, splits our society and effectively declares millions of people second-class citizens. And at the same time, he demands that society support the authorities.
Whom do the current Ukrainian authorities ultimately serve by splitting Ukrainian society? And what does this very ominous sign – the destruction of a church – foretell for all of us? Why now, when the situation at the front is catastrophic, as many military personnel say, when Western aid is highly uncertain, when mobilization is conducted in a way that will likely fail, why does Zelensky’s team decide to strike such a blow to society now? Is it stupidity or a deliberate act to aid the enemy?
For the second year, the authorities have been persecuting the Church, and the destruction of the Tithe temple means that they have already gone too far and won’t stop at anything. What follows next? How many more temples will be destroyed, seized from the Church, turned into museums and cultural institutions? How many more believers and clergy will end up in prison? And what will happen to our country and our people if our authorities dare to challenge God by destroying His church? We remember that “God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap…” (Gal. 6:7).
We would lie to end on a hopeful note, with words from the Holy Scripture: “Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.’ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.” (Jonah 3:4-10).
God’s wrath can be averted, but only in this way.
