The Right Sector is one of the most notorious far right Ukrainian nationalist groups, known for, among other things, violently seizing Orthodox Churches to be given to schismatics.
And in a new video, Vasily Labaichuk, one of the leaders of the group, admits that Right Sector has, in fact, been involved in the seizure of about 50 churches altogether. He also calls for his followers to oppose the construction of new Orthodox churches, to defeat the influence of the “Moscow scum.”
Noting that Right Sector members have helped around 50 churches “transition” to the schismatics in one way or another, Labaichuk recalls his own participation in the infamous seizure of the Orthodox church in the village of Katerinovka in September 2015, during which many of the faithful received serious injuries, including fractures.
And for Labaichuk, it’s outrageous that Ukrainian Orthodox Christians are building new churches to replace those that have been stolen by the nationalists and schismatics.
Epiphany Dumenko, the leader of the graceless and schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” has expressed the same sentiment. Speaking to the Bishops’ Council of the OCU in December, Dumenko lamented that the canonical Church builds new churches and takes legal action to protect its churches and property.
“The time has come for Ukrainians to strike another blow at the Moscow fifth column, at their agents, and especially, which is painful for them—at the Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and their financial and economic efforts,” the far-right nationalist leader says.
“Therefore, we are fighting, and we will unequivocally fight, and our nation will defeat that Moscow scum,” he asserts.
Former President Petro Poroshenko, who created the OCU together with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, has spoken in similar terms. In 2018, referring to Constantinople’s agreement to create a new ecclesiastical structure in Ukraine, he declared: “This is a great victory of the God-loving Ukrainian people over the Moscow demons, the victory of Good over Evil, the victory of Light over Darkness.”
OrthoChristian reported earlier this summer that nationalists brandishing Right Sector flags violently interrupted an Orthodox procession with wonderworking icons and relics in Tobolsk.