The tragedy of war in Ukraine goes far beyond life and death. It is also a spiritual battle - an eternal conflict of good and evil amplified.
The very foundation of the Russian Slavic World - the spirit of Christian Orthodoxy, is being deliberately attacked by the new Ukrainian forces in power.
So far, five targeted deaths of clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, by far the largest confession in Ukraine, which belongs to the main Russian Church in Moscow, have been recorded.
Ever since Maidan events back in February, numerous truly outrageous incidents of violence against the clergy have occurred in continual attempts to intimidate them.
The facts are terrifying. St. John of Kronstadt Church of the Kirovskoe city in Donetsk region was completely destroyed by Ukrainian army shelling leaving three Christians killed.
Father Vladimir of St.George Church was murdered in Lugansk by the Ukrainian Army.
Sergius of Radonezh Church in Lugansk was targeted, too.
Another Orthodox Church in Gorlovka near Donetsk is destroyed by Ukrainian government artillery strike.
Here is a video of the aftermath of Kiev army bombing of the Annunciation church in Gorlovka.
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The head of the Russian Church, Patriarch Kiril, has spoken out about the serious material losses inflicted on churches and monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which became a last refuge for many thousands of civilians fleeing from Ukrainian Army attacks.
The Ukrainian army deliberately shelled both Lugansk and Donetsk churches in order to erase them from the face of the Earth.
Patriarch Kiril has raised the alarm regarding the failure of Ukraine's two other major (but much smaller) denominations, the Uniates (also known as Greek Catholics) and the uncannonical Kiev Patriarchate (orthodox schismatics), to speak out against these attacks. On the contrary, they are taking advantage of the war in order strengthen their positions by occupying churches of Russian Orthodox Church.
The majority of the soldiers in Ukrainian army come from western and central Ukraine which is dominated by these smaller denominations. The vast majority in southeast Ukraine and a majority in central Ukraine have belonged to the Moscow Church for over 1000 years.
In two separate letters, dated August 18, 2014, Patriarch Kiril called on the United Nations, the European Council, and the OSCE, to help stop the killings and tortures of the clergy and faithfull, as well as to stop deliberate destruction of the Christian Orthodox churches. He supported his claim with detailed examples and proof.
The Russian Orthodox Church, which is by far the largest denomination in Ukraine, is the leading defender of traditional Christian and family values in the world today, and is being deliberately attacked.
We can only wait to see what response, if any, will follow.