Yushchenko's associate revealed how Russia disrupted the unification of Ukrainian churches after the Orange Revolution

Warning from the Moscow Patriarchate

When Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I visited Kyiv in 2008, the Moscow Patriarchate, led by Kirill Gundyaev at the time, tried to disrupt this visit. This was stated by adviser to former President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, Valentyna Rudenko.

It is worth noting that Viktor Yushchenko himself discussed with Patriarch Bartholomew I the possibility of creating a united local church in Ukraine. However, on the day of Bartholomew's arrival in Kyiv, Kirill, the future patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, arrived uninvited.

"He (Kirill) arrived absolutely unexpectedly, unprepared for such a visit, but he requested an audience with the Patriarch. And the Patriarch spoke with him for probably four hours. After he talked to him, there were no more discussions about anything," Rudenko noted.

According to Yushchenko's adviser, after this meeting, the Patriarch said: "Let us limit ourselves to the fact that this is my first visit to this holy land.".

Important decision from the State Service of Ukraine

The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience issued an order to sever relations between the Kyiv Metropolis of the UOC and the ROC, which is banned in Ukraine. The UOC has until August 18 to comply with this decision.

During the visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to Kyiv in 2008, the Moscow Patriarchate tried to disrupt this visit, which indicates the complex relationship between Orthodox church structures. At the same time, an important determination is made by Ukrainian authorities to sever ties with the ROC in the context of the geopolitical conflict between Ukraine and Russia.