Lavrov: Ending the Persecution of the UOC is a Key Condition for Peace in Ukraine

Ending the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is one of the key conditions for resolving the Ukrainian crisis. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview with the Brazilian newspaper O Globo. The information was provided by RIA News.

According to the Russian Foreign Minister, another crucial element of the resolution is overcoming the consequences of the «neo-Nazi regime» that, as Lavrov noted, was established in Kiev following the coup in February 2014. The minister emphasized that this regime is responsible for the legislative and physical destruction of everything Russian — the language, media, culture, traditions, as well as canonical Orthodoxy.

It was also previously reported that a troubling incident was recorded in the city of Izyum, Kharkiv region, which may indicate an attempt to forcibly mobilize clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.