Page 12 - UKRRptAug18

“That the transfer in the 17th century under Russian control occurred illegally. In this way, His Holiness believes, as we do, that our mother church is the Constantinople patriarchate.” Ukraine still awaits the church’s decision to grant a tomos, or official recognition of autocephaly, the president said.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s delegation was in Kyiv to commemorate the 1030-year anniversary of the baptism of Kyiv-Rus. More than a hundred thousand of Orthodox Christian faithful participated in separate liturgical ceremonies held by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate and Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate. Recall in April, Ukraine’s president and parliament submitted a request to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Christian Church to grant canonical status to Ukraine’s church, which is the world’s largest unrecognized Orthodox church.
This announcement of granting of autocephaly will have enormous implications for Russian-Ukrainian relations, further solidifying Ukrainian independence from Russia.
The biggest challenge for the Ukrainian government will be to minimize the political tensions and possibilities for violence that will emerge once canonical status is achieved, which analysts see as very likely after this statement.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarch Filaret has already begun to claim ownership of the holiest Orthodox Christian sites on Ukrainian territory, which has triggered warnings of bloodshed from Moscow Patriarchate faithful.
Claims on church properties, which will also extend to hundreds of churches throughout Ukraine, can be resolved peacefully if properly handled by political and religious authorities. But in the absence of leadership, these claims can spiral dangerously into violent conflict that can be exploited by the Russian government to justify further intervention in Ukraine (to protect Moscow Patriarchate Orthodox faithful from alleged violence or persecution).
Analysts see a high potential for violence and destabilization if the Kyiv Patriarchate attempts to take control of the ancient Caves Monastery in the capital city.
2.7 Politics - misc
The Russian-oriented Opposition Bloc expects to gain more than 100 seats in Ukraine’s parliament of 450 MPs after the October 2019 parliamentary elections, the pravda.com.ua news site reported on July 12, citing Serhiy Lyovochkin, among the party’s leading sponsors. The party currently consists of two main camps: the Kyiv faction led by MP Lyovochkin and party head Yuriy Boyko, and the Donbas faction led bybnaire Rinat Akhmetov and MP Oleksandr Vilkul. A third camp could join, led by Viktor Medvedchuk, a confidante to Russian President Putin who is reported to be financing the other leading Russian-oriented party, For Life. Analysts are expecting the most likely scenario to emerge in Ukraine’s parliament after the October 2019 vote is a pro-Western coalition government, and a Russian-oriented opposition led by Yuriy Boyko and the Opposition Bloc. This will give Russian President Putin enormous influence in fulfilling his geopolitical goals in Ukraine, including undermining NATO and EU integration.
12 UKRAINE Country Report August 2018 www.intellinews.com