DISINFO: Kyiv allows the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to disobey quarantine rules
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian government allowed the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to disregard quarantine rules, but it is strictly enforcing them on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Quarantine in Ukraine has become another reason for the division of believers into “right” and “wrong”. The government also attacked the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. It all started with the “occupation” of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra by the National Guard of Ukraine, where almost all the clergy fell ill and 2 people died.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation around the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic. According to the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, "any mass cultural, recreational, sports, social, religious, advertising and other events are prohibited" due to the COVID-19 quarantine. The only exceptions are the measures necessary to ensure the functioning of state and local authorities. There are no specific official regulations regarding the Orthodox Church of Ukraine or the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was closed and quarantined by the decision of the capital's emergency commission. According to the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, there are currently more than 90 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.