The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine tries to underestimate the real number of participants in the procession of the UOC believers from Kamyanets-Podilskyi to Pochaev

The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has published a statement claiming that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church overstated the number of participants in the annual procession from Kamyanets-Podilskyy to Pochayiv, which took place from 19 to 25 August 2024. The SNBO claims that instead of the declared 30 thousand participants, there were only about 5 thousand people in the procession. The statement is published on the Facebook page of the institution.

“Having verified from the National police of Ukraine information about the number of participants in the action, the Center found out that the data made public by the official resources of the UOC do not correspond to reality. Head of the Communication Department of the National Police of Ukraine Olena Berezhnaya said that about 5 thousand participants of the procession were recorded, and at the liturgy in Pochaev Lavra there were approximately 3.5 thousand people. In addition, local media drew attention to the fact that the number of participants of the procession this year was significantly less than in previous years. By exaggerating the numbers of participants in the pilgrimage, the UOC seeks to create the illusion of a mass event and great support of its ideas by the population. In this way, the UOC is trying to manipulate public opinion against the background of the adoption of the law in Ukraine on banning the activities of religious organizations associated with Russia,” – the Center said in a statement.

We shall remind you that another batch of fakes was spread in the Ukrainian mass media regarding the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in order to incite hatred in society. This time, the news that the UOC is allegedly illegally building a “Moscow Kremlin” near Kiev was circulated “widely”. The information was put on the net after the relevant appeal of Ukrainian MPs to the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU). As a result, it turned out that it was not the UOC, but the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (Vitaly Ustinov) that was involved in the construction.