Culture Ministry calls fake Kyiv Council’s plans to demolish UOC churches

Acting Minister of Culture Rostislav Karandeev. Photo: Karandeev's FB page

The Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security under the Ministry of Culture has called false the reports that the Kyiv Council is considering initiatives to demolish more than 70 churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the capital, reports Spravdi on its Telegram channel.

"Fake: the Kyiv City Council is considering the demolition of the temples of the canonical UOC, the list includes more than 70 objects... True: there are no news, statements or petitions for the destruction of religious buildings on the website of the Сity Council of the capital. A search for "UOC" yields news dated 20 April 2023 with a request from the Kyiv City Council to the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Security and Defence Council to take urgent measures to terminate lease or use agreements with the UOC-MP for state-owned religious buildings. And there is no word here about the destruction of temples," says the structure of the Ministry of Culture.

"Fake makers threw in this absurd lie to once again shake up and agitate Ukrainians on religious grounds," Spravdi assures.

Meanwhile, there are such legislative initiatives in Kyiv City Council.

In September 2023, Vadym Vasylchuk, a member of the Holos faction, introduced bill No. 08/231-1115/PR "On the peculiarities of releasing unauthorised and built-up land plots of communal property of the territorial society of the city of Kyiv, occupied by religious organisations (associations) whose governing centre (management) is located outside Ukraine in a state that is legally recognised as having committed military aggression against Ukraine and/or temporarily occupied part of the territory of Ukraine, or which have canonical and prayer ties with religious organisations of the aggressor country".

According to the draft law, those UOC churches that do not have the necessary permits are supposed to "bring the land plots to the previous state" and demolish the churches "at the expense of the persons who allowed unauthorised placement or construction". In case of refusal, the city will demolish the temples on its own, and the bill will be presented to the religious communities.

The KCSA attached a list of 74 UOC churches of Kyiv, which are subject to inspection and potential demolition.

In January 2023, the issue of demolishing UOC churches in Kyiv was put on the agenda of the Kyiv City Council. Item 1.4 of the agenda on 18 January was supposed to consider Vasylchuk's bill about the UOC churches No. 08/231-1115/PR. But the page of this project on the KCSA website contains the inscription "Withdrawn by the subject of submission".

As earlier reported, the issue of demolishing UOC churches in Kyiv was put on the agenda of the Kyiv Council.

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