Russian Priest Attacks Ukrainian Priest With Crucifix During Funeral

A priest of the Moscow Patriarchate used a crucifix to attack a priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) who was delivering a eulogy at the funeral of a fallen Ukrainian soldier on July 22 in central Ukraine. The funeral was held for Oleksandr Ziniv, a radio operator of self-propelled artillery in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in his hometown of Tomashpil. Ziniv died on a combat mission at the age of 42 near the city of Mykolaiv on July 17. The OCU priest, Father Anatoly Dudko, urged people to abandon the Moscow Patriarchate denomination, which is associated with the Russian Federation in the Tomashpil community. He also repeatedly disavowed referring to Oleksandr by his Russian name, Alexander. During his critical and political statements, several attendees can be heard asking him to stop his tirade before Father Mykhailo Vasylyuk, the Russian priest, is seen approaching the podium. He raises his cross and strikes Dudko several times before others pull him away. The attack “crosses all possible and impossible limits of arrogance,” wrote Serhiy Timkov, a local activist who livestreamed the funeral on Facebook. Vinnytsia police are investigating the attack, according to a local news report. Credit: Serhiy Timkov via Storyful

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July 29, 2022 at 12:10AM
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A priest of the Moscow Patriarchate used a crucifix to attack a priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) who was delivering a eulogy at the funeral of a fallen Ukrainian soldier on July 22 in central Ukraine. The funeral was held for Oleksandr Ziniv, a radio operator of self-propelled artillery in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in his hometown of Tomashpil. Ziniv died on a combat mission at the age of 42 near the city of Mykolaiv on July 17. The OCU priest, Father Anatoly Dudko, urged people to abandon the Moscow Patriarchate denomination, which is associated with the Russian Federation in the Tomashpil community. He also repeatedly disavowed referring to Oleksandr by his Russian name, Alexander. During his critical and political statements, several attendees can be heard asking him to stop his tirade before Father Mykhailo Vasylyuk, the Russian priest, is seen approaching the podium. He raises his cross and strikes Dudko several times before others pull him away. The attack “crosses all possible and impossible limits of arrogance,” wrote Serhiy Timkov, a local activist who livestreamed the funeral on Facebook. Vinnytsia police are investigating the attack, according to a local news report. Credit: Serhiy Timkov via Storyful