Occupiers demand from the OCU Archbishop RUB 50 000 to cover legal expenses

Archbishop Klyment of the Crimean Diocese of the OCU received a document from the Russian office of the Federal bailiff service in Crimea requiring him to reimburse RUB 50 000 of court expenses.

Archbishop Klyment told about it to Krym.realii on March 23.

"Earlier, the courts were held. These are the decision of the court, which were adopted in Simferopol and Sevastopol, that I should vacate the premises (of the Cathedral in Simferopol). I must return it to the Ministry of land and property relations. At the same time, I must cover the legal expenses incurred by the Ministry of Land and Property Relations. That is, for the fact that the Ministry throws me out on the street, for the fact that Anyukhina (Russian Minister of Property and Land Relations of the Crimea, Anna Anyukhina) destroys the Church, in fact, steals property. I have to pay RUR 50 thousand for this. I don't have this money," Archbishop Klyment said.

The clergyman fears that Russian security forces may take away the church property of the OCU.

"Apparently, everything will end the same as it did in 2017: when bailiffs came and by court decision had to withdraw the premises of part of the first floor, where the Ukrainian Spiritual Center was located. But due to the fact that there was no property of the center, but there was the religious property of the Church, they seized all religious property," he recalled.

According to Klyment, the OCU tried to appeal the decision, but the courts left the decision of the first instance.

No public comments were made by the Russian Minister of property and land relations of the Crimea, Anna Anyukhina, according to Klyment.

Earlier, the Russian authorities in Crimea issued an order to "vacate the premises" of the Cathedral of Saints Volodymyr and Olga, Equal to the Apostles, in Simferopol, where the services of the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate (now the OCU) were held.

The Russian Ministry of Property of Crimea explained the demand to vacate the building of the Cathedral in Simferopol by the end of the contract with the diocese of the UOC-KP, which passed to the established Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

Cathedral of Sts Volodymyr and Olga of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Simferopol

In the Cathedral of Sts Volodymyr and Olga in Simferopol, the community of the Crimean Diocese of the UOC-KP, which has transferred to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), holds Services.

The Russian Ministry of Property and Land Relations of Crimea in February 2019 demanded to vacate the building of the Cathedral, explaining this as the end of the contract with the Crimean Diocese of the UOC-KP.

On June 28, the Russian-controlled Arbitration court of Crimea ordered to transfer the premises of the Cathedral to the use of the Russian State Property of Crimea. Archbishop Klyment of the Crimean Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine said that he would appeal the decision.

In mid-June, construction work began in the Church building, initiated by the Ministry of Property of the Crimea and without approval from the Crimean Diocese.