Ukraine officers pre-empt alleged provocations during church unification

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on
Dec. 13 that it pre-empted provocations planned to disrupt and smear the
current Orthodox Church unification convention that were organized by Russian
intelligence services. The provocations were organized for religious sites
throughout Ukraine, including the Caves Monastery in Kyiv, said Deputy SBU Head
Viktor Kononenko.

During a meeting in Moscow, Russian agents allegedly
paid Metropolitan Pavlo, the leader of the Caves monastery clergy – who belong
to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate – USD 5,000 to coordinate
provocations during Dec. 13-14, Kononenko said. Aimed at fulfilling previously
alleged persecution threats and takeover of church property, the provocations
could have resulted in the disruption of the unification convention on Dec. 15,
as well as the injuries and deaths to average citizens, he said. The
metropolitan (the Orthodox Church equivalent of an archbishop) will be
questioned as a criminal suspect, he said.

Working in occupied Donetsk, Russian intelligence
services also planned Moscow Patriarchate cross processions in Ukraine’s
largest cities in which participants were encouraged to provoke violent clashes
with police to create bloody scenes for the mass media, Kononenko said.

Orthodox Christian leaders, including those
representing the Kyiv and Constantinople patriarchates, began religious
ceremonies in Kyiv on Dec. 13 as part of a historic unifying church convention
that will take place on Dec. 15 that will determine the leadership and canons
of the newly created, canonical and autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church (or
Orthodox Church of Ukraine). The Kyiv Patriarchate is the world’s largest
Orthodox Christian church without canonical recognition, which is fervently
opposed by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Zenon Zawada: If the
weekend’s historic events occur without incidents of violence, it will be a
great accomplishment for Ukraine’s law enforcement authorities. Naturally, the
Kremlin has been looking for any pretext to disrupt the church convention,
which it alleges is invalid, and provoke violent incidents in order to allege
persecution and violence being committed against the Moscow Patriarchate
faithful. If recorded on video, such incidents would be broadcast not only in
Russia, but aslo throughout the Western world to demonstrate alleged
persecutions against Russians and Russophile Ukrainians in Ukraine.

Russian President Putin has already made clearthat he will defend Moscow Patriarchate followers against alleged persecution
or violence against them, implying that such incidents could even serve as a
pretext for expanded military aggression. While this weekend’s events may or
may not provide Putin with the needed pretense, Russian intelligence services
might arrange for the necessary conflicts (and media footage) in the coming
months. Although Ukrainian authorities have made assurances that any conversions to the newly created church will occur gradually
and peacefully, we are confident that conflicts
will emerge in churches throughout Ukraine between those wanting to join the
new church and those resisting.

It will be critical for law enforcement officials
to prevent these conflicts from escalating into violence and to pre-empt any
future provocations, as with these successful cases. It will also be critical
for authorities to adhere to their claim that the transition will be gradual
and peaceful. Otherwise, Russian authorities will gain another narrative (or
moral pretext) to expand aggression against Ukraine, regardless of whether it’s
justified or based in reality.