Metropolitan Pavel, the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery, waits for the court decision in Kiev, Ukraine, Saturday, April 1, 2023. (AP)

Following a series of escalations by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church driven by the Ukrainian government, Metropolitan Pavel, abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, was sentenced to 60-days of house arrest, and the clergy of the Cathedral of Khmelnitsky were charged with hooliganism.

As a result, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement accusing Ukraine of being subdued to a US-developed mechanism.

The Russian MFA stated that "the Zelensky regime is not independent in its anti-church policy," adding, "The split of Orthodoxy, a blow on this sphere of life is the goal that was declared in Washington a while ago."

⚡️The campaign to seize the pearl of Orthodoxy – the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra – waged by the current Kiev regime reached a decisive stage.
Seizing the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is illegitimate in terms of law and immoral from a spiritual perspective
🔗Read in full: https://t.co/sSpnGGio6x pic.twitter.com/ZGFaD7Merm
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) April 2, 2023

Significantly, the statement revealed, "The US has created an entire perverted mechanism of the direct and mediated influence on the denominational side of Kiev’s policy - a ‘special rapporteur on freedom of religion’ was designated, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom is functioning, and yearly reports are being prepared."

Moreover, the statement denounced the silence following an inquiry by Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov regarding Kiev's misuse of power vis-a-vis the Orthodox Church, to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Bujar Osmani. The MFA even considered the silence "rather telling".

The MFA statement read, "On March 14, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Bujar Osmani to demand that Kiev cease the abuse of power against the canonical Orthodox Church and prevent the forced eviction of the monastery’s [the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra’s] brethren. The absence of any resolute reaction on the part of the addressees from among the leaders of international organizations is rather telling."

Identity, values, and the Orthodox in Rus

On Sunday, Rodion Miroshnik, former ambassador of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) to Moscow highlighted that Zelensky has gone against "1,000 years of history of Eastern Orthodoxy in Rus."

Miroshnik said, "It would have suited [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky best if the expulsion of Orthodox Christians from churches had gone quietly, without any protests, without showing the entire world that the dictator went far further than many other vile despots," adding, "Brandishing a club, he went against the traditional religious denomination, against the 1,000-year history of Eastern Orthodoxy in Rus."

But more significantly, the former ambassador proclaimed: "Now it is the moment of truth for the Ukrainians: whether they are ready to stand up to defend their values or agree to crawl on their knees."

Miroshnik also warned, "They [the people of Ukrainian] have already been deprived of their native language and history, and taking away their faith will turn the people into a herd. And this herd can be raced into any slaughterhouse."

Furthermore, the former ambassador added that "Zelensky thinks that if he backs down on the Lavra, it will be perceived as his weakness, so he will resort to any tactics, including dispersals and arrests, as well as jailing, hunting, and assassinating leaders."