In Volyn, the media harassed an official because of the latter's congratulation of the UOC community on a church holiday

One of the regional media outlets launched a media attack on the head of the Zabolottya territorial community in Volyn Oblast, Valeriy Svirzhevsky, because he congratulated the local Holy Cross religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on its patronal feast. The media believes that “the greeting from the village head looks inappropriate and contradicts the sentiments of the majority of citizens.” The corresponding publication was posted on the Volyn News Service website.

“In this difficult time, I wish all of us not to lose the divine spiritual power, the basis of which has always been, is and will be the Christian faith, because it guides us on the right path and gives us faith in a better future. May this great holiday bring goodness and light to your families, comfort and the Lord’s grace, and fill your hearts with bright feelings of faith, hope and love. May the Holy Virgin cover our soldiers-defenders, the entire long-suffering Ukrainian people with her omophorion, bring peace and tranquility to our native land and protect us from the hardships of life,” – wrote Valeriy Svirzhevsky.

In turn, the Volyn News Service claims that the majority of the population of the Zabolottya UTC was outraged by the official’s congratulations to the local UOC community. The media outlet added that during the war, such actions by Svirzhevsky look inappropriate.

“The greeting from the village head looks inappropriate and contradicts the sentiments of the majority of citizens who see the consequences of the war every day. Many people believe that Ukrainian officials should avoid any contacts and support for structures that may be associated with the aggressor state. This position, in their opinion, helps to strengthen the moral front and emphasizes support for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which seeks independence from Moscow. The situation with the greeting provokes further discussions about the place of the UOC-MP in Ukrainian society, especially in times of war, when national security and patriotism come to the fore,” – the author of the publication wrote.

Earlier, we reported that the regional publication Kremenchuk Operativny organized harassment against a local priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church because of a repost on Facebook. The site’s editors did not like the fact that the UOC priest shared a post by MP Artem Dmytruk on his page, in which the latter criticized Vladimir Zelensky for interfering in the affairs of the Church. Kremenchuk Operatyvny called on the SBU to deal with the clergyman.