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Zelensky’s position against language division should apply to religion — Lavrov

According to Lavrov, "the artificially instigated church split only exacerbated the internal crisis and resulted in deeper division in the Ukrainian society"

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

© Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. The stance of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who stands against the language division, should be applied to the religious sphere as well, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday at a reception on the occasion of Orthodox Easter.

"The fight against the Russian language and culture and the aspiration to destroy the all-encompassing ties between the two brotherly nations became the trademarks of the previous Kiev regime. It even disrupted the sacred spiritual sphere," the top diplomat said. "The attacks on the canonical Orthodox church, acts of vandalism, seizure of churches, and harassment of priests became systematic."

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According to him, "the artificially instigated church split only exacerbated the internal crisis and resulted in deeper division in the Ukrainian society." "In this regard, it is especially important that, despite the external pressure, most local churches realize the risks attached to the proclamation of the new renegade Ukrainian church," Lavrov added.

"I am convinced that all attempts to sever the thousand-year old Russia-Ukraine spiritual ties are doomed to fail. Time will set the record straight," the minister underlined.

"Today, in his inauguration speech President Zelensky stood against the attempts to divide the Ukrainian society on the basis of language. There are no doubts that this stance should be fully applicable to the religious sphere, including the broader context of implementing the Minsk Accords," he concluded.

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