Russians capture Orthodox Church of Ukraine cathedral in Crimea: break down doors, take away property
Russian occupiers have seized the cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) in the city of Simferopol.
Source: Krym.Realii (Crimea.Reality), a Radio Liberty project covering Crimea, citing editor-in-chief of Krymska Svitlytsia (Crimean Chamber) newspaper Andrii Shchekun
Details: According to Shchekun, Russian occupiers are breaking down the church doors, cataloguing property and stealing it.
Shchekyn reports that representatives of the so-called "state property fund of the Republic of Crimea of the Russian Federation" and "official bailiffs of the Republic of Crimea of the Russian Federation" are participating in the looting. According to him, a Moscow bailiff, Yevgen Novikov, is managing the church’s seizure.
Krym.Realii informs that there are currently no official messages from the Russian authorities.
Updated as of 14:18: The Russian "Ministry of Property and Land Relations of Crimea" stated that the "liberation" of the cathedral is allegedly taking place on legal grounds.
It is claimed that the Ukrainian church did not reissue the documents in accordance with Russian legislation within the prescribed time limits. Due to this, the so-called "Arbitration Court of Crimea" decided to terminate the lease agreement.
Background:
The Cathedral of Saints Volodymyr and Olha, Equal to the Apostles, in Simferopol is the only OCU church in Crimea.
In 2020, the occupation authorities in the peninsula decided to evict the Orthodox Church of Ukraine from the cathedral.
In the same year, the European Court of Human Rights appealed to the Russian authorities due to the oppression of the OCU in Crimea.
In February 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine [Ukraine’s parliament – ed.] decided to transfer the property of the Cathedral of Saints Volodymyr and Olha, Equal to the Apostles, in Simferopol into state ownership.
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