The aggressor state Russia continues to pursue scorched earth tactics in the war against Ukraine. Since the outset of the full-scale invasion, the occupiers have completely or partially destroyed 78 churches in Donetsk region.
It is notable that most of them, namely 46, were run by the UOC (MP), according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, who spoke with Ukrinform.
He gave his subordinates the task of doing such a calculation after the heavy fighting for Sviatohirsk began. At that time, the Russian occupying forces shelled the Holy Assumption Lavra, in which hundreds of civilians were sheltering. As a result of these attacks, the temple was damaged and a number of monks were killed.
“As a person, I was confused at the time that even many of the clergy of the Lavra could not name things by their proper names – who and from where was firing as they began to invent stories. Because when the first rocket hit Sviatohirsky bridge, it was clear how it flew, and from where. And the rector of the Lavra temple could not even name in his comment those who did this – the Russian Federation, the military. And when the wooden temple on the way up to the highest hermitage, which is on the way to the monument to Artem, burned down, I said that a count should be made of all religious and cult buildings destroyed,” said the head of the regional military administration.
According to Kyrylenko, he knows “many nuances” of how the priests of the Sviatohorsk Lavra behaved during the Russian strikes. “I will definitely talk about this after our victory,” he added.
