Churches are the target of the Russian bombing

On Saturday, the 16th-century Holy Monastery of Svyatogorsk Lavra, a complex revered as one of the three holiest sites in Ukraine, was targeted by Russian missiles. The church statement said people inside the monastery were badly injured.

The Council of Churches and Religious Organizations of Ukraine issued a statement on March 8 condemning Russia's invasion of civilian areas. Three war-torn churches, including a monastery near the besieged city of Kharkiv, are on the list.

The leader of the Russian Evangelical Union, in the most popular statement of its kind, declared his "bitterness and remorse" for the decisions taken by his government.

"Even in the worst case scenario, I could not have imagined what was happening now," Vitaly Velasenko, secretary general of the Russian Evangelical Union, said in an open letter on March 12.

It is noteworthy that Velasenko did not use the label designated by the Russian government for "special military operations" to describe the violence in Ukraine. He used the terms "conflict" and "aggression", which are officially banned in the Russian media, to protest against the Russian government's actions. In a new move, the Russian government has ordered all media outlets to use the term "special operation".

Two days ago, a Russian court fined an Orthodox priest 35,000 rubles ($ 261) for discrediting the military in his Sunday sermon.

"This is the only thing I can do in the face of this senseless war. I apologize to all those who have suffered in Ukraine as a result of this war." Velasenko lamented.

 

_{Source and Credit: CNA, CP, VOA}