The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy, called on the world to clearly understand that Russia is waging a real war against Ukraine, which began 10 years ago with the annexation of Crimea.
According to Epifaniy, lying about a “conflict,” or “special military operation,” led to shock after the full-scale invasion of Russia in February 2022. He emphasized that a lie should be called a lie, and a war – a war.
The metropolitan stated that Russia had deliberately unleashed a bloody war against Ukraine, and no ideological motives can justify it. Epifaniy emphasized that this is a genocide of the free Ukrainian people, which must be stopped.
Here is the full text of Epifaniy’s message:
Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the Russian armed invasion of Ukraine, the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war. On February 20, 2014, Russian troops invaded the Ukrainian Crimea and began its annexation. Having taken Crimea, Russia spread its aggression to the east of Ukraine, occupying part of Donetsk region and Luhansk region. At the international level, it was then called whatever: “conflict”, “dispute”, “special operation”, “hostilities”, etc., but not war. And already on February 24, 2022, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, everyone understood that this is a real WAR, which Russia is waging against us.
It is very important to call a spade a spade, not to be afraid and not to lie, to speak the truth and reject a lie, because it does not lead to anything good. Calling the seizure of foreign territories “liberation”, “help to the local population”, “local conflict”, “protection of the rights of Russians”, etc., in the eyes of the international community, the Russian Federation committed a great crime against the Ukrainian people, against an independent sovereign state. At the same time, many Ukrainians, not realizing the threat and not hearing the truth, perceived those “military actions”, “operation” as events unfolding somewhere far away, something that doesn’t threaten them and will not affect them. This illusion led to a shock on Feb 24, 2022.
A lie disarms, makes people vulnerable and defenseless before those who spread it. No matter how bitter the truth is, it should be told, not hidden. It should be warned about. Because the consequences of lying are always much worse and more damaging.
It has already been 10 years since the Russian armed invasion of Ukraine, since the beginning of the deliberately plotted bloody and brutal war that Russia unleashed against our peaceful independent state. Hate should be called hate, murder should be called murder, war should be called war. And no political, ideological, or other interpretations can justify the pernicious and destructive essence of genocidal war, which is a terrible sin and crime against humanity, against the laws of God and society.
And this must be clearly communicated to the international community: in the 21st century, one authoritarian country with more than half a million troops and devastating weapons, violating all international rules and agreements, attacked another peaceful independent state. Terror, destruction, and extermination of the Ukrainian population continues around the clock. This is a targeted genocide of a free, democratic people. And Russia is doing it all.
Evil must be stopped and punished. Otherwise, it will not be satisfied with what it has captured, it will spread like rot through the world, poisoning and rendering useless everything it touches. Evil cannot be “negotiated with”, it cannot be forgotten or overlooked. Evil is like a cancer, you can get rid of it only by eliminating, uprooting, and removing it. And then you struggle with its consequences for a long time. But at least this way there will be a chance to survive. Let’s fight evil, tell the world the truth as it is! Because this is also a contribution to the victory of truth, victory for Ukraine.
