In Crimea, the invaders entered the temple of the Kiev Patriarchate

The priest was not allowed into the temple.

In the Crimea on the morning of 31 August, the Russian special services have blocked the Church of St. equal to the apostles princes Olga and Vladimir of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate in Simferopol.

He said the Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea uptskp Clement won’t let him in to the temple.

“At 10 a.m. Executive service broke into the Church, broke into the room of the first floor were broken doors of the altar on the second floor, access is blocked to the believers. No arguments about the fact that the area of the first floor in accordance with the lease agreement belongs to the management of the Diocese, do not apply. They show some court decisions that oblige the Spiritual center to be moved from the premises, although the Spiritual center in the office of the Diocese no more than two years,” he said.

Director of state enterprise “National newspaper and magazine publishing house” Andriy Shchekun said that the property of the Ukrainian Church in Crimea has been spoilt.

“The broken locks, the barbarians stormed the temple, break the altar, confiscate the images,” said Shchekun.

The Executive office has not commented on the events.

After the annexation of the Crimea, the Kremlin-controlled government seized the buildings of the Crimean diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, and held a competition for the lease of part of premises of the Church. Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea uptskp Clement urged the international community to the protection of national, cultural and religious rights of citizens of Ukraine in Crimea.

Most of the Orthodox churches and communities of Crimea and Sevastopol are subject to the UOC Moscow Patriarchate.

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