EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). There you have it, from the horse’s mouth, Sergey Lavrov: “… the issues of the Russian language in Ukraine and the ban on the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate should be resolved first…” Helleniscope has repeated this exact wording countless times in the last two years… We were talking to deaf ears, as the Constantinople Patriarchate kept pretending that they could bless or hide all the abuses of fundamental religious freedoms. Although we are incredibly proud of the accuracy of our observations regarding the Ukraine confrontation in the last 6-7 years, we cannot rejoice when thousands of faithful were disenfranchised and hurt or abused and their churches burnt or taken away…
BELOW IS THE REPORTS FROM RISA.UA AND ROMFEA.GR
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On the eve of talks with the United States, Lavrov mentions the language and faith issues once again
As reported by Radio Liberty, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation said this at a press conference on February 17, on the eve of talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia.
“Still, when talking about serious diplomacy, it is better to first understand the history of the issue, to see why the Russian language is banned in all spheres of life in Ukraine, why the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church is banned there, which is a gross violation of numerous conventions and Article One of the UN Charter. We also must understand why none of the numerous initiatives that have been launched so far from different parts of the world mentions these human rights enshrined in the UN Charter, saying only that territorial rights must be respected,” Lavrov said.
Even before the US presidential election in September 2024, Lavrov expressed his wish that Trump would “repeal” the law on the Ukrainian language and the ban on the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
In December 2024, Lavrov stated that peace in Ukraine is possible only if Ukraine renounces NATO membership and loses some of its territories. At the time, Lavrov emphasized that Russia could not tolerate “Ukrainian legislation prohibiting the Russian language, Russian media, Russian culture, while the Ukrainian Orthodox Church remains in place.”
On Monday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine has not been invited to participate in the talks between the US and Russia scheduled for February 18 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to end the Russian-Ukrainian war.
In early February, Ukrainian officials and human rights activists told the United States about the violation of the rights of believers of various denominations, except for the UOC-MP, in the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russian aggressors, about hundreds of churches destroyed as a result of their shelling, including most of the UOC-MP, which they “protect.”
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Lavrov: ”One of the main issues in Riyadh was the Church of Ukraine”
By Emilios Polygenes
The issue of the Church situation in Ukraine was reportedly raised both on the eve and on the day of the negotiations between the US and Russia in Riyadh.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, one of the main issues of the negotiations was the situation of the Ukrainian Church.
“If we are talking about serious diplomacy, we should first understand the history of the issue and see: why is the Russian language banned in all spheres of life in Ukraine and why is the Canonical Orthodox Church of Ukraine banned?” – Sergey Lavrov emphasized, among other things.
The Russian Foreign Minister also added that what the Ukrainian Church is experiencing is a blatant violation of many conventions and Article 1 of the UN Charter. We need to understand why none of the numerous initiatives that have been expressed so far from different parts of the world speak of these human rights enshrined in the UN Charter.”
Finally, both US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed that they want to improve their relations and then find common ground for peace in Ukraine.
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Λαβρόφ: ”Ένα από τα κύρια θέματα στο Ριάντ ήταν και η Εκκλησία της Ουκρανίας”
Του Αιμίλιου Πολυγένη
Το θέμα της Εκκλησιαστικής κατάστασης στην Ουκρανία, τέθηκε σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες, τόσο την παραμονή όσο και την ημέρα των διαπραγματεύσεων μεταξύ ΗΠΑ και Ρωσίας στο Ριάντ.
Σύμφωνα με τον ΥΠΕΞ της Ρωσίας Σεργκέι Λαβρόφ, ένα από τα κύρια θέματα των διαπραγματεύσεων ήταν και η κατάσταση της Ουκρανικής Εκκλησίας.
“Αν μιλάμε για σοβαρή διπλωματία, θα πρέπει να κατανοήσουμε πρώτα την ιστορία του ζητήματος και να δούμε: γιατί απαγορεύεται η ρωσική γλώσσα σε όλους τους τομείς της ζωής στην Ουκρανία και γιατί απαγορεύεται η Κανονική Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία της Ουκρανίας;” – τόνισε μεταξύ άλλων ο Σεργκέι Λαβρόφ.
Επίσης, ο Ρώσος Υπουργός Εξωτερικών πρόσθεσε ότι αυτό που βιώνει η Εκκλησία της Ουκρανίας, είναι μια κατάφωρη παραβίαση πολλών συμβάσεων και του άρθρου 1 του Χάρτη του ΟΗΕ. Πρέπει να καταλάβουμε γιατί καμία από τις πολυάριθμες πρωτοβουλίες που έχουν εκφραστεί μέχρι στιγμής από διάφορα μέρη του κόσμου μιλά γι΄ αυτά τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα που κατοχυρώνονται στον Χάρτη του ΟΗΕ”.
Τέλος, τόσο ο ΥΠΕΞ των ΗΠΑ Μάρκο Ρούμπιο όσο και ο ΥΠΕΞ της Ρωσίας Σεργκέι Λαβρόφ συμφώνησαν ότι θέλουν να βελτιώσουν τις σχέσεις τους και στη συνέχεια να βρουν κοινό τόπο για την ειρήνευση στην Ουκρανία.
I hope the madness will end soon and all minorities will be protected in Ukraine, not just the Russians.
Right now, in an area of Ukraine that was pretty uneventful for the most part, Churches from UOC are being shamefully stolen in Bukovina part of Ukraine where many Romanians live.
Orthodox believers will pray in several of their churches around the clock to protect them from the uncanonical OCU and the undemocratic state of Ukraine that steal them:
https://spzh.eu/en/news/85015-chernivtsi-cathedral-community-gathers-to-defend-their-sanctuary
AN END TO AN ERA OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY. post-World War II era has been a remarkable historical epoch of eight decades of prosperity and progress. But now, as the British foreign secretary remarked in August 1914, “the lamps are going out all over Europe,” and we must prepare for a more dangerous world.
God bless President Trump. Taking down Nazis and protecting the canonical Orthodox Church at the same time. I believe he will be the most important president of my lifetime. And God bless Metropolitan Onuphry and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church!
We pray daily , that this may be so !!
Amen, Father Deacon. We Greeks pray with you. And we are embarrassed and horrified at what Black Bart has done.
Ukraine is really a side-show at this point. The focus of war has shifted to the Middle East ever since the Israeli’s commenced a plan of genocide in Gaza and invaded Lebanon. The war in Ukraine was the cover that allowed the Israeli’s to do this, but now it’s going to come full circle. Any possibility of peace that is made in Ukraine will only be preliminary to a full on war that will likely entail Russia invading the State of Israel. Both Russia and Iran are patiently waiting for just the right moment to attack.
The demand of Russia to end the ban of the Russian language and the UOC is completely preposterous, given that both were decided by a democratic process of the Ukrainian government. If there’s going to be new elections in Ukraine for a new government, then there has to be peace first. It doesn’t work the other way around. If Trump allows a Russian military take-over of Kiev, the war will only be prolonged. Just like the Palestinians and the Israeli’s, the Ukrainians will never be at peace with a Russian takeover of their land.
Trump wants to make everything a big real-estate deal. So what will it be in Ukraine, besides the take-over of Ukraine’s valuable mineral assets? Perhaps the new Disney World Epcot Center of Eastern Europe?
YOU CANNOT CALL THE VIOLATION OF FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTED BY THE CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATION “DECIDED BY A DEMOCRATIC PROCESS” – ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT YOUR STUPID COMMENTS POSTED HERE
Ok, so how do you propose that the bans be reversed? Do you expect the same Ukrainian government that passed those bans to meet again and annul them? All I’m saying is that’s very unlikely.
It seems to me that what Sergei Lavrov is really hinting at is for some kind of U.S. intercession and overthrow of the present Ukrainian government. As everyone knows, the CIA is really good at doing that too.
Watch the Bob Amsterdam interview to Tucker Carlson I just posted… Takin into account how the Russians acted after WW II, when the Nazis were put through the Nurenberg Tribunals, I expect nothing less for Zelensky and the Ukronazis (along with Epiphanius and his cronies)… If I was Epiphanius I would not go back to Ukraine… The Russians are very clear about the Ukronazis. And they are very meticulous in collecting evidence…
Yet there have never been any international tribunals against individuals who committed crimes as part of the Soviet government. To this day, in both Russia and Ukraine, people who did awful things as part of the Soviet state have not faced any justice.
Since 2023, there is an arrest warrant, though, against Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes that Russia has forcibly taken Ukrainian children.
Joseph:
You leave in a parallel universe of your imagination.
We will all face God’s justice, if not on this world, in the next… There is no where to hide! And those that hit the body of Christ/His Church so violently, will answer for it–if not here, they will answer for it when they meet their maker.
Joseph, It appears that you are turning into quite a “side-show”, yourself with these comments, well on track to becoming a better comedian than Zelensky… :)
“Democratic process”…is that the same “democratic process” that fueled the coup in 2014, just because some governments at the time didn’t like the duly elected guy in Kiev (Yanukovich), a coup which precipitated the entire conflict in the Donbass, and was a preamble to the mess we see today?
And it appears for some reason you are using the terms “democratic” and “language ban” in the same phrase…what kind of illogical mathematical equation is that? Do you remember the leaked tapes of Victoria Nuland at the time of that 2014 coup, yelling “@$&! the EU”? Here’s the clip, to refresh your memory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfdrG46kH-Q
Nobody is buying this nonsense you are presenting…attempts to insult our collective intelligence won’t fly…If you want to be a Uniate, that’s your personal business…but don’t waste your time spewing Uniate propaganda in this forum, thinking that you’ll “convert” anyone…
P.S. At the end of the day, if you are searching for REAL root causes and lessons learned, “corrupt foreign leaders should never cut a 50-year deal that requires perpetual external financial, political, and military support with a US regime that is only in power for 4 years at a time”…That’s a real example of “Russian roulette”, and Zelensky (and his predecessors), and now Epiphanios together with Bartholomew are in a real nasty dilemma…their overlord puppet masters have disappeared from the scene, and now they are left holding the “hot mess” they helped create.
If you play with fire, eventually you get burned…that’s how it goes. Bartholomew should have resigned back in 2018, instead of acquiescing to perpetrate Schism in the Orthodox Church by issuing that “tomos”. That action alone will forever remain the worst stain on his legacy.
Markos.
The Tomos to Ukraine was granted during Trump’s first term. So, how can you claim that Bartholomeau did as his puppet masters ordered him to do? Was Trump behind
Furthermore, U.S’s foreign policy has been remarkably resistant to change according to the ruling party at the time, for the past 80 years. Until Trump came along. You pretty much knew what American policy would be.
Joseph, as usual, your comments seem quite perplexing and contradictory. But I must admit, you are quite entertaining.
Joseph may God repay you for your evilness. The persecution of the Ecumenical Patriarch has occurred following similar “democratic processes” in the nationalist Turkish Parliament. You are truly an evil duplicitous person. If Black Bart suffers the same fate as Patriarch Gregory V, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.
It would be extremely interesting if Bartholomew is soon asked to revoke the “tomos”…
Looks like Orthodox Times is starting to broach the subject. Will be interesting to see how many more “solutions” pieces they put out.
https://orthodoxtimes.com/the-ukrainian-geo-ecclesiastical-question-and-canon-law/
I keep asking myself “Why does J. Lipper keep interacting with a website he almost always expresses disagreement with?”.
Because he is the definition of a troll. He spouts his nonsense to try to show division in the Orthodox world. The trust is outside a small handful who follow Black Bart and the creepy Phanar cabal, 95% plus of Orthodox Christians, including most of us Greeks, support Metropolitan Onuphry and the canonical Ukrainian Church. I would say fake “Metropolitan” Epiphany of the OCU can go to hell. But he has done just fine finding the path there on his own.
Θρησκευτικά διαιρεμένος ο Ουκρανικός λαός αδυνατεί να κερδήσει τον όποιονδήποτε στόχο.-
A new documentary is coming out about Ukrainian Christians being forced from their churches at gunpoint. Here’s a 5 minute trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DibeChgXMjY
And there are thousands of videos about OCU and the corrupt ungodly Ukrainian government entering churches and monasteries with guns and beating up ukrainian citizens, stealing over 1000 churches, and even shooting at nuns and destroying monasteries, but you only are interested in one way propaganda. You will never get the whole picture because you are not interested in the truth.
Sandy, if Sergei Lavrov is demanding an end to the bans on the UOC and the Russian language, then doesn’t it make sense that counter negotiations would at least demand the same of Russia?
Nobody is demanding an end to Russia’s ban on the Ukrainian language and Russia’s ban on Christianity that is not Moscow Patriarchate.
Ukrainian government abducting its own citizens and terrorizing them. Of course they will lose the war. A house that fights against itself will not stand.
https://spzh.eu/en/news/85087-trc-employees-kidnap-a-uoc-deacon-in-kyiv
https://spzh.eu/en/news/85081-media-reveal-details-of-uoc-ovruch-eparchy-priests-detention-by-trc
“Patriarch” Philaret will go down in history as one of the most disgraced person that caused a lot of pain in the orthodox world with his schism and actions. I remember reading that Philaret said that Ukraine will rise as Christ has risen. Looks like Patr. Bartolomew is talking the same garbage. How can anyone compare Christ our God, with the (corrupt) state of Ukraine???
https://spzh.eu/en/news/85102-head-of-phanar-christ-has-risen-ukraine-will-rise