Drabinko “consecrates” a cross in Morozovka aided by Right Sector and S-14

On June 20, 2020, ex-metropolitan of the UOC Alexander (Drabinko), accompanied by the Right Sector and S-14, “consecrated” the cross and stone at the site of the proposed construction of the OCU in Morozovka. The "hierarch" of the OCU reported this on his Facebook page.

The ex-metropolitan wrote that the event was held at the request of the “rector” and parishioners of the Holy Assumption parish of the OCU, because the “rural Holy Assumption church, built by the local community, is occupied by the parish of the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate, who are vehemently against the possibility of alternate worship services."

The decision to build an OCU temple was made, according to Drabinko, "in order to avoid conflict".

However, the conflict could not be avoided, as local residents opposed the construction of the temple in the place chosen by the members of the OCU.

In a plot filmed by 1+1 television channel, one of the protesting local residents stressed that it was "not about patriarchates" but about "self-seizure of the land".

Archpriest Nikolai Brega, the rector of the UOC community in Morozovka village, confirmed the same to the UOJ journalist. According to him, the community of the canonical Church does not at all oppose the construction of the OCU church (as described in the “1+1” story), on the contrary, believers are only in favor of it. However, residents of the neighboring houses oppose this.

For them, the bone of contention is not the construction but the land chosen for this purpose. According to the residents, a park should appear at this place and next to it – a kindergarten and a school. Their indignation was caused by the fact that none of the representatives of the OCU never conducted a public opinion poll or any hearings but simply announced it as a fait accompli.

In addition, Father Nikolai said that the "consecration" of the cross at the site of the proposed construction of the OCU currently indicates the seizure of the land.

On the eve, the site was leveled with a tractor, and on the very day of “consecration,” ex-metropolitan Alexander Drabinko brought along members of the “Right Sector” and S-14, who pushed aside people trying to talk with the organizers of the event.

In effect, representatives of the OCU do not have any documentation that would allow the use of equipment on this land plot, as well as evidence of the right to perform such actions.

According to Father Nikolai, on this site “a house of culture was being built when the local factory was operating. Until 2022 this land is leased, and in 2022 it will become the property of the Unified Territorial Community (UTC) and only then a decision will be made either to extend the lease of land with the factory or to refuse.”

He emphasized that the process of starting the construction of the temple provides for certain steps: “First, it is necessary to file an application to the UTC to legitimize the land plot. Then – to carry out geodesic work to find out what communications pass through the construction site. Next, one has to get a construction permit, to approve a design project, to get a construction permit under the project, etc.,” said Father Nikolai.

“They (representatives of the OCU – Ed.) didn’t do anything – they simply leveled the place with a tractor and brought militants to oust people who had not come to swear but to talk,” the priest told the UOJ correspondent.

According to him, despite the fact that ex-metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) said that members of the OCU had repeatedly appealed to the local authorities with a request for construction, these words do not correspond to reality, "because they did not appeal to anyone – neither to the village head nor to the deputies. They all settled among themselves.”

Local residents who came to talk with the organizers of the event said that members of the "Right Sector", who’d arrived from Kyiv, provoked people in every way by talking about the "patriarchate", although they were told that the problem was different. In turn, Drabinko threatened the local community with alternate services in the church of the UOC.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Kyiv Regional State Administration called on Drabinko not to aggravate the situation in Morozovka.