“What Else Must the Kremlin Antichrist Do?”: Ukraine’s Orthodox Leader Condemns Lavra Attack

Metropolitan Epifaniy, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, urged the Moscow-aligned Ukrainian Orthodox Church to unite following Russia's strike on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of Orthodox Christianity's holiest monasteries.

The appeal was reported by the Ukrainian outlet RBC-Ukraine, which published the primate's remarks after the June 15 attack on the capital.

Epifaniy cast the strike as a deliberate attempt to break Ukraine spiritually, arguing that Russia, unable to seize the revered monastery, now seeks to destroy it.

In a statement on X, he demanded a decisive international response to the attacks: "What else must the Kremlin antichrist do for the world to realize that it must act decisively, so that Russian terror against Ukraine and against the very principles of peace will end?" he wrote.

Epifaniy accused Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, of blessing the war and openly calling it a "holy war." By targeting Ukraine's sanctuaries, he charged, Moscow aims to erase the country's history and identity.

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He vowed the church would endure. "In this way, they are trying to break us spiritually. But we will pass through these trials. This cathedral has repeatedly seen destruction throughout history, and we will restore everything," he stated.

Epifaniy also called on clergy and worshippers who, in his words, remain deceived to recognize that their church is directly under the authority of the Moscow Patriarchate. He pressed them to sever those ties and unite within Ukrainian Orthodoxy.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine gained recognition as an independent body in 2019, formalizing a break from the Russian Orthodox Church. The competing denomination, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, has faced intense scrutiny over its ties to Moscow since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Kirill, meanwhile, has become one of the war's most prominent religious backers, casting the Kremlin's campaign in spiritual terms.

Epifaniy used the appeal to renew his long-standing call for a single Ukrainian Orthodox church, framing unity as vital to withstanding a sustained assault on the nation's faith. He maintained that Kyiv, the spiritual heart of the country, would recover from the strikes.

The fire that drew his response broke out during a broader overnight assault on the capital. A Russian missile and drone barrage struck residential districts across Kyiv on June 15, cutting power to 140,000 residents and igniting fires throughout the city.

Flames engulfed the roof of the Dormition Cathedral at the Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, prompting an urgent evacuation of relics, including historic icons and antimensia. The attack killed at least four people and injured around 30 others, including two young children.

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