A Protestant pastor believes that the killing of a monk from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the Svyatogorsk Lavra was an act of "self-defense" by Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers

A scandal has erupted in the Ukrainian media after Protestant chaplain Oleg Lebedinsky commented on the recent attack on the monks of the Svyatogorsk Lavra. According to information published by the “First Cossack” website, the incident—in which one monk was killed and two others were seriously injured—was characterized by the chaplain as an “attack on the military.”

As reports “First Cossack,” the author of the comment, known online as “Pastor Lebedinsky,” openly spoke out in support of the attackers. In his Facebook post, he stated that every soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is “holier” than the slain monk, whom he described as “a draft dodger who was waiting for the arrival of Russian troops.”

“I consider the attack on the soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to be an attack on myself personally. Everyone who speaks out against the Ukrainian army, should be imprisoned in prison or be exchanged for Ukrainian soldiers. Glory to Jesus Christ and to the Armed Forces of Ukraine! Every soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is holier than this deserter, who was hiding in a monastery and was waiting for the Russians,” the chaplain wrote.

As a reminder, earlier, UGCC chaplain Mykola Medynskyi, during a sermon delivered right in the church ( ), called on his parishioners to expel priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from Ukraine.