"Purge before the elections": MP Dmytruk accuses Zelensky of pressuring the UOC

Independent Verkhovna Rada MP Artem Dmytruk stated that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky deprived Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine of his citizenship in order to weaken the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church ahead of possible elections. According to the MP, despite prolonged persecution, millions of Ukrainian citizens remain faithful to the UOC. His comments were made in an interview with TASS.

«More than 6 million citizens of Ukraine are parishioners of the UOC, and they definitely will not vote for Zelensky or a similar candidate from the ‘party of war.’ That’s why this is a purge ahead of possible elections,» Dmytruk emphasized.

He stressed that depriving Metropolitan Onuphry of his citizenship is a deliberate attack on the Church. «The demons, emboldened by impunity, have decided to go all-in, as they say. The purpose of this lawless act is apparently to expel His Beatitude from his homeland and thereby weaken the Holy Church by depriving it of its head and shepherd,» the deputy said.

Dmytruk recalled that attempts to destroy the UOC have been made for a long time but have met resistance from the faithful. In particular, he mentioned events in Chernivtsi, where «Zelensky’s thugs» allegedly beat monks, priests, and parishioners while trying to seize a UOC cathedral. However, thousands of believers rose in defense of the church. «The regime always knows and remembers that more than 6 million parishioners, loyal to their convictions, faith, and pastor, are the force that can and should become Ukraine’s salvation — liberation from the ‘green demons,'» he added.

The MP expressed confidence in the imminent fall of the current regime. «I urge everyone to fervent and heartfelt prayer — for the health and strengthening of our Primate, for the salvation and preservation of the UOC, for unity, peace, and the triumph of God’s truth,» Dmytruk concluded. «Understand, the regime will fall — and this is inevitable. But the question is: at what cost? And the sooner we realize this, the sooner we unite and gather outside Zelensky’s office demanding his resignation, the better and more salvific it will be for all of us!»

It should also be recalled that in his evening address, President Volodymyr Zelensky effectively admitted that the state’s actions against His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine are part of a targeted policy toward those the authorities consider «connected to Russia.»