Russia-Ukraine war: Russia-backed monastery in Kyiv raided

Ukrainian security forces carried out a raid on the country’s 1000-year-old Russian-backed Christian Orthodox church monastery in the capital Kyiv. The raid aimed to intercept potential activity by Russian forces.

The Ukrainian intelligence service SBU issued a statement announcing that it has carried out a raid in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery in the capital. The world heritage site, which overlooks the Dnieper river, also serves as the base of the Russian-backed faction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate.

The SBU’s counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism service said the search was part of its efforts to “counter the subversive activities of the Russian special services in Ukraine.”

The SBU said the raid aimed to prevent the use of the monastery as “the center of the Russian world” and was carried out to look into the suspicions “about the use of the premises…for sheltering sabotage and reconnaissance groups, foreign citizens, weapons storage.” The SBU said another raid was being carried out in the Rivne region 240 kilometers west of Kyiv.

“Russian world” refers to Vladimir Putin’s concept of a new foreign policy doctrine to protect the Russian language, culture, and religion. This was often used to justify interventions all over the world.

The raid by the SBU also follows a November 12 service at the Pechersk Lavra complex when a Ukrainian priest was filmed talking about the “awakening” of Russia. The agency said it was investigating the details of the incident that took place in the monastery, where songs about the “Russian world” concept were being sung.

Russia continues to bombard Ukraine’s energy infrastructure across the country, leaving most parts of Ukraine without power. The recent barrage of Russian attacks has resulted in even parts of the neighboring country of Moldova without power.

In a video address to the United Nations Security Council Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attacks on the energy grids a “crime against humanity.”

“When we have the temperature zero and scores of millions of people without energy supplies, without heating, without water, this is an obvious crime against humanity,” said Zelenskyy during the meeting.