Hundreds of people came to UOC-MP church in Khmelnytskyi, where a soldier was beaten. PHOTOS
As informs Censor.NЕТ, this was reported by our Hromadske correspondent from the scene of the events.
A Hromadske correspondent reports that the territory of the cathedral was closed. Patrol policemen stood at the entrance, and there are dozens of police officers among the crowd. There are also 20 soldiers, including those from the 19th separate rifle battalion, where the injured soldier served. Veterans who served with him said that he is now in the city hospital.
Serhiy Tyurin, the first deputy head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Military Administration, posted his video message on Telegram.
Tyurin assured that law enforcement officers are already investigating the incident with the beating of the soldier and will soon give a legal assessment of the actions of both parties. He called for "reducing the degree of tension" and giving the relevant services the opportunity to resolve the conflict in a legal way.
"Indeed, the war has exposed the nerves of each of us and made us irreconcilable to many events and phenomena [...] I would like to remind you that we live in a European, civilized country where the rule of law prevails. We are not Muscovites and we will not be like them in terms of resolving conflict situations. As befits civilized people, we will resolve any conflicts in a legal and legitimate manner," he said.
Viktor Burlyk, a deputy of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Council, was the first to announce the gathering, and he posted a video from the church. The protesters came with flags and a poster "The Moscow Patriarchate is a curse of Ukraine." A poster with the inscription "KGB" was hung at the entrance to the cathedral.
10 boys and girls climbed over the fence to the territory of the church, and eventually the protesters entered the territory.
Reportedly, priests are standing at the entrance to the building on the church grounds, surrounded by several athletic-looking men.
A video of the clashes appeared on the Khmelnytskyi LIVE telegram channel.
As noted, the priests were taken out of the cathedral.
The UOC-MPclaimed that the cathedral was stormed by "radicals" and called the incident in the cathedral a provocation.
Local activist Dmytro Hutsalyuk said that today the community is to vote on the transfer of the cathedral to the OCU. A member of the Khmelnytskyi City Council, Vitaliy Pidhaichuk, announced the collection of signatures and the beginning of the process of transferring the cathedral to the OCU.
According to the publication, as of 18:50, signatures were being collected near the church for its transfer to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the parishioners of the UOC-MP church were praying. Representatives of the UOC-MP left the territory through the back door.
After that, the premises of the cathedral and the administrative buildings on its territory were sealed.
At 19:20, MP Yurii Smal, chairman of the meeting on the transfer of the church, said that Metropolitan Anthony (Vasyl Fialko) of Khmelnytskyi and Starokonstantinivka had handed over the keys of the cathedral.
As reported, in the morning of April 2, a priest and parishioners beat a military officer in one of the churches of the UOC-MP in Khmelnytskyi. The police initiated proceedings against the priest and the soldier.
After the incident with the beating of the soldier, Khmelnytskyi Mayor Oleksandr Symchyshyn said that the city council is going to vote at an extraordinary session for termination of the UOC MP's use of all land plots on the territory of the community.
