Ukrainian MP Artyom Dmitruk accuses President Volodymyr Zelensky of waging a "campaign of terror" against his own people, going so far as to liken him to a demon. The statement follows a raid on the historic Petjerskaya Monastery in Kiev, where police reportedly broke down doors and entered the catacombs.
Dmitruk, an independent MP who was formerly part of Zelensky’s parliamentary group, is technically still a member of Ukraine’s parliament but fled the country shortly after opposing a bill that sought to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, where he serves as a subdeacon. He has since been placed on Ukraine’s extradition request list.
In an interview with Russian state broadcaster RT on Friday, Dmitruk commented on reports that Ukrainian authorities had descended into the catacombs under the Cave Monastery, as it is also known. Several Orthodox saints are said to be buried there and it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During the raid, authorities reportedly changed locks and launched an official inventory of property and relics, a move Dmitruk strongly condemned.
– Zelensky is perpetrating genocide of the Ukrainian people. What we are seeing now and what we are witnessing now is the continuation of terror policies of Zelensky’s against [the] Ukrainian people. Zelensky is a demon in the body of a human being. You can call him whatever you want, a godless person, a terrorist, and so on and so forth. The gist of his actions is the same. Zelensky is following a demon’s will, Dmitruk declared.
Accusing the state of desecrating relics
Dmitruk, who says he left Ukraine because of religious persecution, disputes the official explanation that the action is an administrative review:
– They want to inspect the holy relics of our saints. They plan to carve them up, to open them up, to break them into pieces. To perform this sacrilege over them. It's a huge tragedy for the entire Orthodox world, he said, adding that the results of the audit will be classified.
– They are raiding the Lavra. They are trying to seize the property of the Lavra… If we speak from a legal point of view, it’s a crime, he stressed.
Conflict between church and state
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the country's largest religious community, has been the subject of state intervention for several months. The government believes the UOC has lingering ties to Moscow, despite the church formally breaking with the Russian patriarch after the 2022 invasion.
The efforts have included house searches, arrests of priests and attempts to wrest control of Lavra from the UOC.
President Zelensky has defended the crackdown, citing the need to protect Ukraine's "spiritual independence" from Russia.
Moscow, in turn, has condemned the measures, accusing Kiev of suppressing the canonical Orthodox faith, and claiming that Western countries are supporting these efforts.
Facts: Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
Founded in Kiev in 1015, the Monastery of the Caves, also known as the Monastery of St. Peter's or the Kiev-Petrish Lavra, is one of the most sacred Orthodox monasteries in Eastern Europe. It consists of an extensive complex of churches, cathedrals and a network of underground caves where several Orthodox saints are said to be buried.
The monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Sofia Cathedral, two famous sites that have served as the spiritual and cultural center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity for centuries.
Today, the site is managed by both the State Museum and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has led to tensions over the war.
