In Kiev, activists and media provoke protests against the construction of the UOC temple

Activists and some metropolitan mass media provoke protests against the construction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s temple in honor of St. Theodore Osvyaschennyi. It is reported that fences, carriages, MAFs, and surveillance cameras have been installed at the site on Ovrutska Street. In addition, the area has already been cleared for construction, and the developers are preparing the foundation and plan to pour concrete. Nevertheless, the process has drawn the attention of “concerned local residents”, who demand the city authorities to check the legality of the construction procedures taking place on the site. This is reported by Kyiv News.

According to the media, the rector of the community of the UOC Archpriest Peter Semashchuk claims that he is acting on the basis of permits from April 23, 2015, issued by the capital authorities. At the same time, according to the publication, the community has no official permission to carry out construction work.

“According to official documents, back in 2007, the mayor of Kiev Leonid Chernovetsky transferred to the UOC (MP) the buildings on this territory belonging to the community of the city. However, on July 23, 2015, the parish was denied the allocation of land for any construction. Thus, the permit, which the rector now refers to, became invalid 10 years ago. Despite this, active works are being carried out on the place of the square, which Kiev citizens regard as illegal construction”, – note in the media.

In addition, activists have joined the situation, calling on the Kiev authorities to “check the legality of the works and stop the cutting down of green spaces”. They are already preparing an appeal to the Kiev Council, ecoinspection and police, emphasizing that “the site should remain a green area of public use”.

It is also worth noting that on the mentioned plot of land in the XIX century stood the church of Theodore the Osvyaschenny, destroyed by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s. In this regard, it should be taken into account that the construction of the temple on the specified place is a de facto restoration of historical justice. Nevertheless, the idea to restore the temple, destroyed under the USSR, apparently, does not like not all residents of the city.

Recall, earlier we reported that the regional media of Volyn region organized an information harassment against the priest and believers of the religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Zaliznitsa, Kamen-Kashirsky district, Volyn region. The reason was the construction of a new temple to replace the one that was seized by the PCU supporters a year earlier