Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Ukrainian MEP after the monastery raid: “Zelensky is a demon”

The war in Ukraine

Published 1 April 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The exiled MP Dmitruk accuses Zelensky of terror against his own people.
2 minute read

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.

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Norwegian-led training base for Ukrainian soldiers opened in Poland

The new cold war

Published 2 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
EU representatives visit Camp Jomsborg during the opening ceremony.
2 minute read

A Norwegian-led training center for Ukrainian troops has opened in southeastern Poland. Camp Jomsborg can accommodate up to 1,200 soldiers at a time and will focus on drone warfare.

The facility in Nowa Dęba-Lipa was inaugurated on Wednesday in the presence of defense ministers from Norway and Estonia, as well as representatives from Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark.

Camp Jomsborg, built by engineers from Norway’s Brigade Nord, represents another escalation of Western support for Ukraine since the war with Russia broke out in 2022. Poland has since become a central hub for logistics and training of Ukrainian forces.

According to Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the training will be conducted by instructors from allied NATO countries, with particular focus on modern drone technology.

— There is no other army in the world as well trained in drones and counter-drone systems as Ukraine’s, he claimed at the inauguration ceremony.

Around 250 Norwegian soldiers are already stationed at the site, and five rotations of 500 troops each are planned for next year. Estonia has also sent personnel, and more nations are expected to follow.

“Not a one-way street”

Kosiniak-Kamysz argued that the cooperation not only benefits Ukraine, but that the allied countries also benefit from Ukrainian combat experience.

— This is not a one-way street. An important element is that we will draw on Ukrainian experience. Right next to us is a drone launch strip, the defense minister said.

He emphasized that the base symbolizes NATO countries’ unity and claimed that “peace requires strength, skill, training, a well-prepared army, a strong alliance and resilient societies”.

On the same day as the inauguration, EU leaders agreed to create a so-called “drone wall” along the bloc’s eastern flank, following claims from Poland and Estonia about Russian airspace violations. Moscow has dismissed the accusations as groundless and accused the EU of trying to incite a war against Russia.

Hungary: Brussels prepares for war – and Europeans will pay the price

The new cold war

Published 2 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó sounds the alarm: EU leadership under Ursula von der Leyen is sacrificing Europe for Ukraine.
2 minute read

“Brussels is preparing for war and they want Europeans to pay the price”, writes Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in a harsh attack against the EU’s new seven-year budget.

He warns that the union’s power holders are prioritizing Ukraine’s military over Europe’s own and very urgent problems.

In the post, published ahead of the informal EU summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, Szijjártó emphasized that Europe’s security and economic situation has deteriorated sharply as a result of failed decisions in Brussels.

“Brussels is preparing for war, and they want Europeans, including Hungarians, to pay the price. The proposed budget for the next seven years is much more about Ukraine than about the European Union itself”, wrote Szijjártó.

He described the draft as “a Ukraine budget”, focused on arming the country and keeping its state structure alive, while Europe’s own urgent needs are neglected. Instead, Brussels should address declining competitiveness, secure energy supply, and rebuild the foundations for European growth, he argued.

“But instead, the European Commission wants to send European taxpayers’ money – including Hungarians’ money – to Ukraine, to finance the Ukrainian state and military”, the minister warned.

Wants to see “patriotic shift”

Szijjártó emphasized that Hungary rejects the idea that the country’s citizens’ money should be used for war efforts.

“We don’t want Hungarian taxpayers’ money to be sent to Ukraine, we don’t want it to be spent on war, and we don’t want it to cover the arming and operation of the Ukrainian military”, Szijjártó explained further.

The minister concluded by stating that the EU can only change course if a “patriotic shift” occurs in Brussels.

“Until then, Brussels will remain committed to pro-war, pro-migration, and pro-gender policies. But we don’t want war, we don’t want migration, we don’t want gender madness, and we don’t want Hungarians’ money to be siphoned off to Ukraine”, he wrote.

The day before Szijjártó’s statement, on September 30, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán directed harsh criticism at Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in a post on X.

“Dear Donald Tusk, You may think that you are at war with Russia, but Hungary is not. Neither is the European Union. You are playing a dangerous game with the lives and security of millions of Europeans. This is very bad!” Orbán emphasized.

Stoltenberg’s call: Sacrifice welfare to stop Putin

The war in Ukraine

Published 1 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Jens Stoltenberg meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
2 minute read

Norway’s finance minister and former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says that Western Europe must continue sending billions to Ukraine – even if this comes at the expense of citizens’ healthcare and welfare.

— I know that one additional billion to Ukraine or one billion extra to national defense is one billion less to other good purposes like health, education and infrastructure. But we must remember that the highest cost is to let Putin win, said Stoltenberg during the conference Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday.

Stoltenberg, who led the US-led military alliance from 2014 to 2024, is now Norway’s finance minister and during the forum he revealed that Norway under his leadership has tripled military support to Ukraine and significantly increased its own defense spending.

His statements align with the military alliance’s current Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who has previously urged member countries to cut welfare in order to increase support to Kiev further.

Stoltenberg was NATO chief when the Ukraine conflict escalated into a full-scale war in February 2022. Even before the invasion, he had pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership and NATO-adapted infrastructure in the country – measures that according to Russia provoked the war.

“Starting to talk about a third world war”

After the 2022 invasion, Stoltenberg intensified demands that Ukraine should be admitted to the alliance and urged member countries to increase their military and financial support to the country.

Several Western European governments have dramatically increased their military spending over the past year, citing the alleged threat from Russia. At the same time, many European countries are struggling with strained welfare systems and demands for savings at home.

Moscow categorically denies plans to attack NATO or EU countries and claims that these allegations are used as a pretext to justify military investments at the expense of welfare.

— Some officials in NATO and the EU are beginning to seriously talk about a third world war as a potential scenario, warns Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, accusing the West of fueling anti-Russian hysteria.

Ukraine recruits over 10,000 prisoners to fight in the army – even convicted killers

The war in Ukraine

Published 30 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
According to Ukrainian law, prisoners can apply to serve in the army "until the war is over" and they undergo one month of training before being sent to the front.
2 minute read

More than 10,000 Ukrainian prisoners have been recruited to the country’s military since a new law was introduced last year. Among those recruited are convicted murderers, and in exchange for fighting at the front, they can be granted parole.

At penal colony No. 4 in Ukraine, Andrii Askerov, 30, and Roman Chech, 36, are preparing to exchange their prison overalls for military uniforms. Both are convicted of drug offenses and have applied to join the army.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to kill a man, I’ve only seen it in movies”, says Andrii Askerov, who has served 18 months of a six-year sentence, to BBC.

For Roman Chech, it’s not just about freedom but also about revenge. He says his sister was killed when a Russian missile hit her house in Kharkiv in 2023.

“Most of all I would like to avenge her”, he says.

One month of training

According to the new law, prisoners can apply to serve in the army “until the war is over” and they undergo one month of training before being sent to the front.

Those convicted of the most serious crimes such as repeated murder, sexual violence, corruption and treason are excluded and cannot be recruited to the army, it is claimed.

Most prisoners have voluntarily enlisted in the infantry where fighting is most intense, according to the government. They will also be part of a new assault force that President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in September.

According to the head of penal colony No. 4, about half of the thousand inmates who have volunteered so far are already dead.

“Huge difference”

Ukraine’s Deputy Justice Minister Evhen Pikalov defends the program and argues that Ukraine’s recruitment of prisoners is not at all comparable to Russia’s recruitment efforts.

“There’s a huge difference: the Russians are paid per hundred metres, and Ukrainians are driven by patriotic feelings”, he claims.

Pikalov also emphasizes that these are parole releases, not outright pardons.

Both Ukraine and Russia have thus turned to their prisons to recruit new soldiers for the front. For both countries, this offers a way to strengthen their military forces without having to expand regular mobilization, something that has historically often met strong resistance among the civilian population.

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