What I am about to say is being painted with a broad brush, as I realize that this probably (hopefully?) does not reflect the opinion of the majority of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians.
I’ve often said that “the Ukraine” is a hodge-podge of different tribes, languages, and nationalities all compressed into one diverse land. This has been clear for some time. If you don’t believe me, just look at any of the linguistic maps of that country that we have posted on this site over the years. All this war has done is expose the fissures in that unfortunate land.
We have seen this with the Church, as well.
The western reaches of that land contain elements that are (mostly) either Latin-rite Catholic or Eastern-rite Uniate. The central and eastern parts (which are the majority) are Orthodox Christian.
The canonical Church of Ukraine is an autonomous eparchy of the Patriarchate of Moscow. Its senior hierarch, Metropolitan Onuphriy of Kiev, is a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and is second in rank only to Patriarch Kirill of Russia. The autonomy that the Orthodox Church in Ukraine has is broader and deeper than any other autonomous Church. It has more autonomy than the uncanonical “autocephalous” sect which Bartholomew breathed into existence two years ago. Far more. (Hence my derisive description of it as “ukrocephalous.”)
Still, when one thinks of Ukraine, one thinks of an Orthodox nation, culture, and civilization; not a gangster state where hooligans are allowed to cut loose and engage in iconoclasm (and that’s the least of it).
So what is my point? Only this: According to the present Ukrainian historiography, the fons et origo of the Russian civilization is in Kiev. And furthermore, all branches of the Russian people received their baptism in the font of the Dnieper River in AD 988. In this, they are correct –in every particular.
Therefore, when one thinks of Ukraine, one thinks of an Orthodox nation with an Orthodox phronema.
So why the hell is this thing happening? Monument to St. Alexander Nevsky demolished in Kharkov (+VIDEO) / OrthoChristian.Com
My best guess is that the Ukronazi/Western capture of Ukrainian nationhood is pretty much complete and they want nothing to do with the Kievan Rus’ civilization that has lasted for a little over a millennium, and which was birthed in their land.
I thought that St Aleksandr Nevsky was one of their heroes as well? After all, he was Grand Duke of Kiev* as well, was he not? I guess I was wrong.
I’ve come to expect this type of behavior in deracinated Western land inhabited by orcs and trolls in places like Oregon or Washington State. But is Ukraine also ruled by evil witch-kings and a dark lord, as well? I thought that they were Orthodox.
Would it be too much to ask Ukrainians who claim that they are Orthodox to condemn this action? Because if they don’t, they will be cutting themselves off from Holy Orthodoxy for all time and all because they foolishly yoked themselves to degraded Western interests.
Choose wisely.
*He was Grand Duke of Kiev from 1236-52.
Yes.
Russia knows this, and I’m sure this is why they chose to go forward with their SMO. This is part of the “denazification.”NATO is a symptom of the above quote.
The purpose of NATO/West moving into Ukraine and Bartholomew’s incursion was precisely to cleave Ukraine away from Orthodoxy and from Russia.
The majority of the Rada IIRC is made up of Uniates and the OCU and of course the president is a member of a certain tribe. They all have contempt for the UOC. Ukraine may be partially an Orthodox nation, but, the other half certainly is not.
Let’s hope Russia succeeds in their mission…
Bingo.
Given the pagan altars (for child sacrifices?) that are being unearthed by the RF, I am quite confident that this is a spiritual war going on. That Putin is walking in the stead of a modern Joshua. (And Joshua was no angel.)
“Given the pagan altars (for child sacrifices?) that are being unearthed by the RF….”
Uhh…come again? Are you able to direct us to a link for information about this?
There were a lot of witches who either live in Ukraine or are “focused” on Ukraine at the moment. Witches need altars. Here’s a link you might find of interest. I notice they call out Unicef and Red Cross as being “helpful.” https://wildhunt.org/2022/03/pagan-responses-to-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine-continuous-updates-%F0%9F%8C%BB.html
Interesting, yes, and none too surprising, but I am still interested in exploring a link exposing pagan altars being found in Ukraine by the RF, if someone can recall where this information came from.
There was a short video clip on a Russian news site, around 25 seconds long, hat featured some shots of an Azov base. One of the last things that was shown was a large wooden idol of (I think) Rod, the Slavic pagan deity.
There’s also been a couple of other ritual altars uncovered during the SMO.
Azov is up to its neck in Slavic neopaganism and even satanism. There are strong links between Azov membership and the Order of Nine Angles, which has penetrated numerous far-right organizations, both in Europe and here in the States.
Okay, yes, I have read a bit on the Order of Nine Angles. I had not been aware of an Azov connection. This is something to explore, thank you.
If you dare, there’s a huge thread on the Atomwaffen Division on the Kiwi Farms forum (around 100+ pages, with lots of vulgarity) where you’ll find a lot of references to O9A, their links to Azov, and involvement by three-letter federal agencies in funding and creating various satanic and occult groups.
UKRAINE: ANOTHER CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO BAN CHURCH, SEIZE ITS PROPERTY
Officials in a Lvov Province city in western Ukraine have voted to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church beginning next month.
The decision from the Boryslav City Council is the latest in a series of similar decisions throughout Ukraine. The officials intend not only to close the church, but also to seize its property, starting June 1.
The Council reports on its “historic decision”:
Today, on May 19, after lengthy discussions at meetings of humanitarian commissions, having weighed all the negative and positive aspects, Deputies of the Boryslav City Council made a historic decision—they banned the activities of the religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the parish of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate, on the territory of the Boryslav city territorial community.
The decision comes into force on June 1, 2022.
This decision also prohibits the use of church premises for meetings and services and the sale of products of the Orthodox Church. The Boryslav City Council will begin the procedure of compulsory seizure of a real estate object and transfer it to the communal ownership of the Boryslav territorial community.
Earlier this month, the mayor of Konotop in the eastern Sumy Province banned the Church in his city under the pretext of a threat to national security. The same also occurred in Kagarlyk and Brovary, both in the Kiev Province.
The Ukrainian Church’s Legal Department has protested such decisions, explaining that they have no legal force, and the Ukrainian Synod has called upon President Vladimir Zelensky to intervene and put an end to such divisive moves.
Another ‘strong’ Western value growing in the Ukraine. You know, freedom of religion and all that…
I really worry about the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church…what’s going to happen to these poor souls trapped behind RF force lines? The Fascists are taking their revenge on them. We can only pray for their safety and freedom.
Essential reading from the indomitable Saker:
https://thesaker.is/so-how-serious-is-ukraines-neo-nazi-romance/
More info about pagan altars:
From interesting things: swastikas, prayers and pagan rituals – Azov people, who in a hurry left the base near Mariupol, abandoned ( https://t.me/readovkanews/34361 ) all their nationalist paraphernalia on it
And the hits just keep on coming:
https://thesaker.is/sitrep-operation-z-the-ukrainian-fighters-will-to-resist-is-deteriorating-fast/
Ukrainians have a reputation in the Russosphere for being mercurial. I.e. to say, their personalities reflect the instability of the Frontier ethnopolitical patchwork. It’s like trying to herd cats. Thus they are very emotional, impressionable and, like cats, are attracted by shiny objects.
In NZism, some have found their unifying principle because it speaks to their historical resentment of Russian domination. Others remain Orthodox. Others are Eastern papist, yet others are Latin rite papist. Some are merely neo-nationalists (since Ukraine is a very new nation as a concept) who believe the West’s bs about the sanctity of the nation state (ask the Serbs about that one). In short, it’s just a huge mess.
The Kiev regime is a combination of neo-nationalist and NZ. They are simply not religious and are headed by a non-religious Jew who is a puppet for a non-religious State Department and DS. Religion is nothing more than a tool for them and thus it must serve the interests of their neo-nationalism. Hence the OCU.
In this putrid mix, St. Alexander Nevsky does not fit because he is a hero of Rus’, a united Rus’. It is the very fact that he is universally venerated in Russia that spells his doom. One is reminded of the current woke attacks on George Washington. It is what he represents that is offensive to their ideology.
Ukrainian nationalism is above all a separatist movement, with all the pathologies inherent in that mindset.
This is a goldmine of info: http://thesaker.is/so-how-serious-is-ukraines-neo-nazi-romance/
Oops, I didn’t see that George had already posted this link.
Ukraine is a far more Orthodox country than Russia, both now and in the past. In fact during the USSR times it was known as the “Bible Belt” of the Soviet Union (I don’t know why that specific term) Less than half of Russians declare themselves Orthodox and the number of actual churchgoers is around 15%. There are several million Muslims, Budhists and other smaller confesions, that without mention an ever growing number of Evangelicals. In Ukraine more than 80% of the population call themselves Orthodox, in some regions in the center of the country they are close to be 100%. If you add the other Christian denominations, (Protestant, Eastern Catholic) the number of Christians is more than 90%.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/06/12/russians-are-getting-sick-of-church-orthodox-putin/
It’s probably between 70-80% Orthodox in Russia, however, churchgoing is definitely not a widespread habit. The article above is definitely not pro-Russian and it puts Orthodoxy at 79% and other estimates put it in the above range.
The percentages are in the same ballpark for the Ukraine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Ukraine
Mike, . . . Do tell, how does your assertion about Ukraine fit with the open embrace of naziism, the destruction of the statue of St Alexander Nevsky, the closing of Churches that George has already referenced, etc, etc?
Gee, I didn’t see anything in what he said that had anything to do with this.
Paul Craig Roberts: Vladimir Putin as Robert E. Lee
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2022/05/paul-craig-roberts/vladimir-putin-as-robert-e-lee/
‘ As readers know, I often make reference to Putin’s forbearance, that is, to his tolerance, patience, and self-control. I admire Putin’s forbearance which persists despite Putin never receiving any recognition or credit for it. My concern is that Putin’s forbearance does not serve him or Russia well. The reason is that the Western world no longer recognizes or values the moral code that once defined Western civilization. Today in the Western world there are only two values–money and power.
It has been a long time since any American or European military leader said anything resembling what Robert E. Lee told the soldiers who comprised the Army of Northern Virginia:
“We make war only upon armed men, and we cannot take vengeance for the wrongs our people have suffered without lowering ourselves in the eyes of all those whose abhorrence has been excited by the atrocities of our enemies, and offending against God to whom vengeance belongs.” …
Like Lee, for Putin forbearance is a virtue, a moral principle that you don’t sacrifice for war. Like Lee, Putin told the troops that “we make war only upon armed men.”
Putin has stuck to this policy despite the narrative’s portrayal of him as a war criminal murdering women and children. In other words, Putin is not restraining the use of violence against civilians because he expects credit for his forbearance, but because it is a virtue to which he holds.
When one looks honestly, one sees clearly that the virtue the West claims does not exist.
My problem with Putin’s forbearance is that it is not only no longer an admired virtue in the West but also so foreign to the modern Western mind that it is interpreted as indecision and weakness. Consequently, the provocations of Russia multiply and worsen. In brief, Putin’s forbearance is resulting in red lines being crossed that will end in nuclear war. … ‘
Interesting, though bleak, analysis…
Gonzalo Lira: Poland Slides It In
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8UKTPZhoIs
[Video – 12:19]
Poland sticks its pole [sorry – oar] in.
This will very likely not end well.
https://russian-faith.com/saints-history-persecution/russian-regicide-and-beginning-mystery-iniquity-explained-orthodox-saints
One of our commentators, Mike, mentioned the possibility of actual Russian Nazis (as opposed to Ukrainian Nazis). Yes, they do exist.
Please take the time to watch this video from Jackson Hinkle (go to 10’30”):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMFf_hWhYEU
According to Gregory Orlov, there has been a subtle Make Russia Great Again program perpetrated by Kremlin moles in the American Deep State:
https://thesaker.is/the-secret-american-plan-to-make-russia-great-again/
I know this sounds preposterous, but like Orlov, I ask you to read each of these ten points, and if you can come up with another reason for Russia’s resurgence, please inform him.
I’m just about 100% sure that the article is satire. Wonderful, wonderful satire.
What he states in the first paragraph as being implausible is probably the case: Yes, the West is that stupid and arrogant that it has taken foolish actions which led us to the present moment.
Bear in mind, even with some small, Russian cabal ensconced in the DS, the policy recommendations, maneuvering and machinations would have to be signed onto by the rest of the government. Given the results, doubts would rise as to the pristine wisdom of these Manchurian actors. Now they may push it just far enough and then cover their tails, but still, how much influence against the grain could be mustered by such activity?
In short, at best, such a cabal would be leading the DS down a path it already was prone to tread. There is a much simpler explanation: a combination of Western incompetence and hubris combined with Divine Providence which has rewarded Russian foreign policy since the ascension of Putin. I don’t think Orlov’s thesis is “preposterous”. A very intelligent person looking at Western activity since the Clinton Administration might very well conclude that the whole enterprise is self-defeating and thus indicative of some internal subversion.
Yet that is precisely what you would expect from a spoiled, arrogant, decadent hegemon in decline.
Forgive me, this might already be posted:
LITHUANIA READY TO HELP MOVE THE CHURCH FROM MOSCOW TO CONSTANTINOPLE, PM TELLS PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW
Lithuanian authorities support the appeal of some Orthodox priests to switch from the Moscow Patriarchate to Constantinople, and are prepared to help bring the Patriarchate of Constantinople into the country.
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė told Patriarch Bartholomew about the government’s stance on the issue in a letter delivered to him by Lithuanian Ambassador to Turkey Ričardas Degutis last week. The meeting was also attended by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon.
“The public support of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow for Russia’s war against Ukraine is unacceptable to some Lithuanian Orthodox Christians, so, according to the Prime Minister, it’s natural and human that … they have the right to practice their faith without a conflict of conscience,” Rasa Jakilaitiene, Šimonytė’s spokeswoman told the Baltic Times.
The PM emphasized in her letter that Orthodoxy is the second largest traditional religion in Lithuania, growing rapidly due to the arrival of Ukrainian refugees. While expressing the state’s readiness to help, the spokeswoman also emphasized that the decision to create Constantinople parishes in Lithuania ultimately belongs to the Patriarchate and the faithful.
“The Lithuanian government will be involved in this process to the extent necessary to ensure the freedom of faith, conscience and religion, enshrined in Article 26 of the Constitution, to all Lithuanian citizens,” she added.
His Eminence Metropolitan Innokenty of Vilnius and His Grace Bishop Ambrose of Trakai have had to repeatedly defend the Church against accusations that a handful of clerics were punished for their stance against the war in Ukraine. Met. Innokenty himself has made several very strong anti-war statements.
The priests say they only began thinking of moving to Constantinople after being punished, but the hierarchs maintain that they have long been plotting to bring Constantinople into Lithuania and that the priests were relieved from their respective positions by their own request.
Several churches throughout the country have also been vandalized lately.
Having learned of the PM’s letter, Met. Innokenty wrote a public letter to the official, asking why the fate of the Church is being discussed without its knowledge.
It is also known that other politicians are working on this matter, the hierarch says, noting that Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mantas Adomėnas recently met with Evstraty Zorya, a hierarch of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” who also spoke to the press about the Church switching to Constantinople.
The openly expressed desire of some clerics to switch to Constantinople is a path to schism, “creating a threat to stability in Lithuanian society,” Met. Innokenty writes. Despite their public accusations, the faithful of the Church in Lithuania are both loyal to their homeland and desire unity in the Church, as evidenced by thousands of signatures collected by the laity, and the crowded procession for unity and peace that the Church recently held in the capital.
“In a word, we’re talking about something that directly concerns our Orthodox Church in Lithuania. This is a fundamental question. But practice shows that it’s resolved without our participation. A natural question arises: What is going on behind our backs?!”
The vast majority of the faithful do not support switching jurisdictions, Met. Innokenty assures.
“We need a dialogue—an open, honest and friendly conversation. We are always ready for this,” he said, but, “The interference of secular people in Church affairs has never led to positive results, but only caused disappointment and brought bitter fruits.”
‘Go f**k yourselves’, Zelensky office tells Western officials…
Ukrainian presidential adviser Alexey Arestovich resorted to obscene language to criticize those in the West urging Kiev to cede part of the country’s territory to Russia for the sake of peace.
“Go f**k yourselves with such proposals, you dumb f**ks, to trade Ukrainian territory a little bit! Are you f**king crazy? Our children are dying, soldiers are stopping shells with their own bodies, and they are telling us how to sacrifice our territories. This will never happen,”Arestovich said in an interview on Wednesday.
Arestovich criticized the logic of “bleating”voices encouraging Ukraine “to curb its appetite”and to give Russia the territories it supposedly wants, as this would allow Kiev to “establish a comprehensive peace and to return to business as usual.”
Another adviser of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mikhail Podoliak, took to Telegram on Wednesday to address the “pro-Russian lobbyists in Europe.”
“We do not sell our citizens, territories or sovereignty. This is a clear red line. Ukrainian society has paid a terrible price and will not allow anyone to even take a step in this direction – no government and no country,” Podoliak said.
While no one wants a long military action or a food crisis, “the shortest way to end the war is with weapons, sanctions and financial assistance to Ukraine,” he argued.
“The Ukrainians defended Kiev, liberated three regions and are completing the liberation of the fourth. Today, the same people offer us to give Russia the east and the south. Thanks for the advice, but we’ll probably take up arms,” the adviser said.
The statements from Arestovich and Podoliak come after former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday. Kissinger urged Ukraine to make peace quickly and seek a return to the way things were before February.
Ukraine has insisted that it would not agree to any peace proposals that do not respect its pre-2014 borders.
Moscow has made it clear that the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the status of Crimea as a Russian region, are not up for discussion.
Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.
See: https://www.rt.com/russia/556103-arestovich-territories-concessions-response/
And surprise surprise, they sound like Zionists
Well, they certainly do have a potty mouth. (And they’re certainly delusional.)