The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) accused the authorities in Kyiv of “committing state terror” over the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the intention of wiping out any trace of true orthodoxy in the country.

“The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is the only canonical and legal orthodox church in Ukraine and is also the biggest religious organization in that country… recognized by all orthodox churches in the world and other churches and confessions while the non-canonical, schismatic structure which calls itself Orthodox Church of Ukraine … is recognized by just four orthodox churches,” the SPC press release said.

“The SPC with deep concern, sadness and compassionate fraternal love, observes the pressure, violence and persecutions that the current Ukrainian government is carrying out against the canonical Church …. which “culminated recently days with the violent seizure of churches” and the announced “faithful reprisal of the Soviet persecution of the Church – the expulsion of two hundred and fifty monks and hundreds of professors and theology students from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra,” the press release said.