Lawyer: Repressing Lavra, the authorities are working for RF interests

If the eviction of UOC monks from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is not based on court decisions, it will mean that the Ukrainian authorities are working for the interests of the Russian Federation. Lawyer Oleg Denisov said this in an appeal published by the YouTube channel NGO Public Advocacy.

"If the state does not do so, it means it is working off the propaganda line, including by the Russian Federation. All media outlets, Russian channels and Russian representations to the UN will immediately say: 'Here, there are violent clashes, there is such a problem, there are no legal appeals from the state, they just came and started throwing out the monks.' This vivid picture will soon be broadcast everywhere. Therefore, from the point of view of the state interests of Ukraine we must not allow that, we must not do that. We need to go the civilized way," he said.

The human rights defender said that "some politicians provoke people in Ukraine to clashes, do not allow them to pray peacefully, to live and exist within the framework of their state and their confession.

According to him, this gives an excuse to international organizations and European politicians to use the fact of the monks’ eviction from the Lavra against the interests of Ukraine itself.

"If there is any radicalization of the issue, it means that international organizations will understand that there is such a power in Ukraine, which acts by such methods. Then we should not be surprised that some politicians in Europe will use this against Ukraine. Here it is not the UOC believers' fault that these facts will be very soon spread in the international environment and Ukraine's opponents will use them at every opportunity," Denisov added.

As reported, human rights defender Oleh Denisov said that the UOC monks can be expelled from the Lavra only by a court ruling.