"Moscow Patriarchate parasitizes on our heritage," - Deputy Head of Ternopil Regional State Administration

The deputy head of the Ternopil regional administration, Stepan Kuibida, has made a harsh statement accusing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of «parasitizing on the Ukrainian heritage» and calling for the final severance of all ties with this religious structure. His position was published by the regional edition of POGLYAD.

According to the report, against the background of the recent events that took place in the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra, Kuibida insists on the need for decisive and uncompromising actions against the UOC. The official is outraged that the clergy and believers of the UOC have the courage to oppose the arbitrariness of law enforcement agencies. «The Moscow Patriarchate is parasitizing on our heritage — it is necessary to cut off all ends once and for all,» Kuibida said.

He also praised the SBU and police for their recent actions in Pochaev Lavra, urging them to continue to «get their own back.»

«Respect to the SBU Department in the Ternopil region and the Ternopil Region Police. Way to go, guys! We return and protect our own», — summarized the official.

We will remind, in the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra published an official explanation about the searches conducted by the police and SBU on the territory of the monastery on October 8, 2025. The statement, made to refute inaccurate information in the media, details the actions of law enforcers, which included breaking the gate and attempting to search the lawyer’s office without a relevant court order.