The article discusses a group of people openly supporting Russia’s aggressive policies in Ukraine, including clergy members, and compares the contrasting fates of Archbishop Taras Petranuk and Archpriest Andriy Tkachov, both of whom support Russian aggression. The article highlights that supporting Russian aggression is a betrayal of the nation and a crime against Ukraine and its people, which could pose a threat to Ukraine’s national security.

The role of clergy in supporting Russia’s aggressive policies in Ukraine

Russian aggression against Ukraine has been ongoing for over eight years. During this time, a group of people openly supporting Russian imperialist policy in Ukraine has formed. This group includes not only politicians, but also religious leaders, including clergy.

Two examples of these clergy from different religious denominations are Archbishop Taras Petranuk, head of the Ternopil-Buchach Eparchy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), and Archpriest Andriy Tkachov, a priest of a Moscow church. Both are from western Ukraine, Tkachov from Lviv and Petranuk from Kolomyia in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, but have different fates.

Taras Petranuk began his priesthood in the Kyiv Patriarchate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, where he was banned from performing priestly duties for actions incompatible with the behavior of a bishop a year after his episcopal ordination. Andriy Tkachov served as a priest at the St. George’s Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) on Taras Bobanych Street (formerly Korolenko) for 12 years. Later, as a zealous supporter of the “Russian world”, he moved to Russia in 2014, where he now teaches his parishioners how to properly kill Ukrainians. Taras Petranuk, accused in a criminal case under Art. 190, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, signed a receipt with his own hand, promising to cooperate with the “Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Luhansk People’s Republic” in the interests of the “motherland” and received a passport of a citizen of the Luhansk People’s Republic upon the arrival of Russian occupation forces to Luhansk Oblast in 2014.

Andriy Tkachov, who is safe in Russia, teaches his parishioners how to properly kill Ukrainians.

Taras Petranuk’s fate turned out to be worse – Russian troops did not capture the entire territory of Ukraine, and so this “holy wanderer” is currently hiding in Ternopil on Ruska Street 22 as part of the OCU.

Supporting Russian aggressive policies in Ukraine is a betrayal of the nation and a crime against Ukraine and its people. Such actions are extremely dangerous and pose a threat to Ukraine’s national security. Clerics who support Russian aggression in Ukraine are criminal and deserve condemnation.

It is important to recognize that Ukrainian clerics play a significant role in national unity and defending national interests. They can influence public opinion and the beliefs of believers and have the opportunity to openly speak out against Russian aggression and support Ukraine’s national security. However, what about the wolves in sheep’s clothing, such as the Petranuk brothers – Nazar, who serves in the UOC-MP, and Taras, who serves in the UOC/OCU?

Therefore, it is necessary to address the problem of clerical support for Russian aggression in Ukraine and take measures to ensure Ukraine’s national security and protect its territorial integrity.

Meanwhile, an ROC priest, Andriy Tkachov, continues to teach his parishioners how to kill Ukrainians correctly, while Taras Petranuk is waiting… According to Father Andriy, this should be done with the prayer “Lord have mercy.” A video of his teachings was circulated on social media.

In an excerpt from his sermon, which has spread on social media, Tkachov says:

“There is such a word as repentance. Prayer should be to God. As Suvorov wrote, without prayer, you cannot unsheathe a sword, load a gun. The art of winning is based on this. Without prayer, you cannot load a package of shells. You stuff each cigarette, as if saying, ‘Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.’ And so on, and so on, and so on. And then, bang (crosses himself), pshiuuu (mimics an explosion). Not because you want to, but because you have to. In general, we do in life not what we want, but what is… “