Occupation authorities of Crimea set to demolish a church of OCU in Yevpatoria

Russian authorities in Crimea are planning to urge the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to demolish the Church in Yevpatoria. This was told by the Archbishop Klyment of the Crimean Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Krym.Realii reports.

Archbishop Klyment says the OCU has received a subpoena for November 6 in the city court.

"The administration of the city of Yevpatoria appealed to the court in order for the court to consider the issue of forced demolition. He has said it obliges management of the Crimean Diocese to demolish by its own resources this Church and to return thereafter those 30 square meters to the city", the Archbishop said.

Construction was started before the annexation and the OCU has all the relevant documents.

"Within six months, they sent various commissions that recorded the "fact" of illegal construction. In turn, I submitted the necessary applications and letters to the administration of the city of Yevpatoria with explanations that this structure was installed before 2014. I provided a letter by the Cabinet of Ministers of Crimea that the issue of land allocation is controlled by the Council of Ministers of Crimea," Archbishop Klyment explained.

He notes that the first attempts to demolish the temple began in 2014.

"The initiator of the demolition was the Deputy Chairman of the Crimean Republican cultural and educational society of Crimeans" Krymchakhlar" M. I. Purim. In 2014, they have already voiced the intention to demolish the Church and to liquidate of the Ukrainian Orthodox community in Yevpatoria," said Klyment.

The claim says that the OCU has no necessary documents for construction of the temple on the specified site.