Zelenskyy's Adviser Podolyak Says Necessary To 'Cleanse' UOC As Pro-Russian Force

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Zelenskyy's Adviser Podolyak Says Necessary to 'Cleanse' UOC as Pro-Russian Force

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Friday that it is necessary to "physically cleanse" the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) as a "pro-Russian" force

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2023) Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Friday that it is necessary to "physically cleanse" the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) as a "pro-Russian" force.

"I think that the first three-six months of the war were a unique chance to resolve everything in a very fast and painless manner. Then you could just physically cleanse many pro-Russian (forces), now it is a bit more difficult. But once again 'a bit more difficult' does not mean 'impossible.' And now we have to be legally motivated and quite harshly go through this path," Podolyak told the 24 Kanal broadcaster.

The adviser added that the issue with the UOC should be finally resolved by accusing the church of escalation and unwillingness to engage in a dialogue with the authorities.

The conflict around the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra where the monks of the UOC are based escalated after the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture terminated the lease agreement unilaterally, accusing the monks of violating the terms of the deal, and ordered them to leave the Lavra by March 29.

Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said the monks could stay if they joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). However, Metropolitan Bishop Pavel (Lebed), viceregent of the Lavra, said that no compromise was possible.

The Russian Orthodox Church says the UOC is a "self-governing church with the rights of broad autonomy" within the Moscow Patriarchate. However, in the wake of the military operation that Russia launched in Ukraine more than a year ago, the UOC said in May it was independent from the Moscow Patriarchate and did not support the conflict. In January, the Ukrainian government submitted a bill to parliament that seeks to ban the UOC in Ukraine if its connection with Russia is proven.