Conflict in Kuty as an Example of "Peaceful" Raiding of Kyiv Patriarchate

For more than a month in the village of Kuty, Sumy district, Ternopil region, there has been an ongoing conflict over the Holy Righteous Anna Church between a religious community of the UOC and a newly established community of the UOC-KP.

In the summer of 2015 it all started with calling a local assembly by the village residents, who allegedly expressed a desire to establish a community of the KP. Just at that very time an election campaign to regional governments was launched. Through an artificial formation of the KP community one of the residents of Kuty village paved his way to a local councilor’s mandate. Perhaps, this man was inspired in his actions by his party patron, who back in 2010 in the village of Musorivtsi, Zbarazh district, was violently crashing the church door under loud slogans "Moskals – on the knives!", thus making his way to the big policy. One can view the video of the event here, or just in Youtube search box type "Musorivtsi".

The evidence of a local resident on how signatures for the creation of the KP community were collected can help us understand the way the raider scheme works: "People were told that the signatures were needed for the local priest to serve in the Ukrainian language. Those who were in two minds or hesitant were prompted by the argument that all neighbors had already signed and the case had already been decided upon. Thus, supposedly, a little over two hundred votes was collected, which included ten percent of children who are under the age of 18, twenty percent of villagers who in the next few days recalled their signatures in favor of the present state of affairs, and ten percent of those who are not registered on the territory of the village council or I do not reside in the village". Political slogans, accusations of the priest and the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of anti-state position – all went into play to achieve the goal.

Despite the fact that all the documents indicate the church affiliation of the Holy Righteous Anna religious community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, by the order of the Chairman of Ternopil Regional State Administration dated 29 September 2015 №588-od the statute of the UOC-KP community was registered. Since then, tension around the church has kept growing because the religious community members of the KP have repeatedly disrupted the worship of the UOC community. Under the pretext of the so-called "peaceful protest", they did not allow in the church the faithful of the UOC. However, in accordance with the letter №7 of Vaskivtsi village council dated 15.01.2016, the letter of Shumsk district council №08 / 03-11 dated 15.01.2016, any permission to hold peaceful demonstrations in the village of Kuty, Shumsk district, Ternopil region, was not granted.

As for the "peaceful" character of their action, members of the UOC-KP community clearly demonstrated it on 13 December, 2015. At the time of the Liturgy at the Holy Righteous Anna Church, the KP adherents gathered in front of the church door, demanding to give them the right to alternate service. In doing so they loudly shouted their slogans, intimidating: "We will arrange another Katerynivka for you". They also expressed their indignation at the fact that the UOC community allegedly held worship too long. Despite the fact that the long church service was still ongoing, representatives of the UOC-KP by force attempted to enter the church. Such illegal actions made law enforcement officers intervene in the situation and prevent the seizure of the church. On December 14, 2015, Shumsk police department of Kremenets GUNP in Ternopil region made an entry in the URPTI (unified register of pre-trial investigations) under Art. 180 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. As a result of it, criminal proceedings were launched on the facts of impediment by representatives of the religious community of the Kyiv Patriarchate to holding services by the UOC community.

On December 19, 2015, on St. Nicholas Day, representatives of the KP religious community KP simply blocked the passage to the churchyard for the faithful of the UOC. They put their own lock on the church gate and once again disrupted the service. They didn’t react to any requests or persuasions to allow the UOC faithful, together with the senior priest Father Ihor Kushniruk, to enter the church so they could take children’s presents prepared for St. Nicholas Day.

That day Shumsk police department of Kremenets GUNP in Ternopil region opened another criminal proceeding under Art. 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – on the fact of violation of citizens' equality based on their religious beliefs.

In a similar way acted representatives of the UOC-KP on January 3 and 8, 2016. Violating the legitimate rights of the parishioners of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, they once again did not allow the UOC community members into the church, ultimately requesting alternate service or monetary compensation in the amount of 2,5 million hrn., arguing that the current members of the KP community had also built the church. Although in fact, among the present supporters of the KP there are practically no people who in their time participated in the construction of the church in Kuty village.

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