On Friday, the Ukrainian media Strana.ua reported that the Kyiv Solomensky District Court changed the precautionary measure against the abbot from house arrest to detention, with the possibility of paying a bail of 33 million grivnas (about $893,500).

Zakharova called the arrest of the abbot of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church as “political arbitrariness” and a sign of “the legal illegality prevailing in Ukraine”, as well as “the systematic and flagrant violation by Kyiv of the rights of Orthodox Christians”.

The Russian iplomat recalled that such actions go against many universally-recognized international legal instruments such as the UN Charter, the universal declaration of human rights, and the one concerning discrimination based on religion or belief.

According to Zakharova, the “Tribunal” organized by Kyiv and the measures taken to expel believers from the most important and oldest monastery in Ukraine are links in the same chain.

“The aim of these actions is to destroy the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which unites tens of millions of people,” she stressed.

She also regretted the absence of a consistent reaction to what happened on the part of the specialized international structures.

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, on the other hand, urged the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Bishops of Churches to take action in defense of the abbot of the Caves monastery.

Pressure against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the largest in the country, began in the 1990s, primarily from nationalist and schismatic groups.

The latest episode of this relentless struggle is the attempt to evict the monks from the Kyiv Caves Monastery, which was to be completed by March 29.

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