The situation in the Ukrainian SMO on March 13 2023

Russia Captures Krasnohorivka | Launches NEW Attack North of Bakhmut

Wagner STORM Azom Steel Plant

Has Russia’s spring offensive already begun?

Russian invasion of Ukraine [13 March 2023] ‘Today’

Ukraine, Russia locked in brutal battle in Bakhmut, casualties mount

Offensive with 70.000 men on Bakhmut? Russian Observers VERY worried. Ukraine-Russia-War Sitrep

Ukraine’s Possible Bakhmut Counteroffensive + What Poland’s Military Build-Up Means

Ukrainian frontline soldiers storm no man’s land in Bakhmut

In Artemivsk at midday on March 13

Over the past day, our assault groups have made some progress in the industrial area and in the area of the AZOM plant. The enemy confirms the gradual advance of our assault groups in the city blocks, despite attempts to organize a tough defense and stop the advance of the Wagner.

Fierce fighting continues in the Krasnoye area. The enemy confidently controls the village and tries to push the Wagner off the Chasov-Yar-Krasnoye-Artemovsk road by means of counterattacks in order to use it in the future if the situation with Khromovo worsens.

Khromovo is also under the enemy – the battles are going to the north. Since the loss of Khromovo means the automatic formation of a cauldron, they will hold on to it to the last.

Bogdanovka is also under the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There are battles at Orekhovo-Vasilyevka and at Zaliznyansky.
Meanwhile, due to the shelling of roads from Artemovsk, on the roads and fields to the west of the city, the number of destroyed wheeled and tracked vehicles continues to increase. This is a good process.

The enemy is concentrating additional forces in Chasov Yar (as well as in the Ray-Aleksandrovka area) and is expected to try this week to push the Wagner back at least in one of the directions from Artemovsk. There is a transfer of reserves taken from the border with Belarus and from the Chernihiv region.

The strikes of the RF Armed Forces in the area of Chasov Yar and Konstantinovka are primarily aimed at the enemy’s redeployed reserves, which are deployed in industrial zones and the private sector. In general, the battle for Artyomovsk continues to put serious pressure on the operational plans of the Ukrainian command, which affects the situation in other areas as well.

It is reported from the field that a strong battle is going on in the area of Golubovka and Minkovka, 20 kilometers north-west of Artyomovsk. You can hear how the artillery works.

 Presumably, the “orchestra” reached the reserves of the 4th and 17th tank brigades, the battalions of the 61st “jaeger” and the 116th territorial defense brigades accumulated between two villages.

According to the Military Chronicle, Ukrainian units have been arriving in the area since the beginning of March to actively counter PMC artillery and were reinforced by mobile artillery and mortar groups.

Military Expert Boris Rozhin on the Situation in the #Artyomovsk (#Bakhmut) Sector on the Evening of 13 March 2023⚡️

🔹 North:

➖ The Wagner PMC continues fighting in the direction of #Khromovo and #Bogdanovka. Both settlements are held by the AFU.
➖ There is also fighting near #Zaliznyanskoye and Orekhovo-Vasilyevka. There is no confirmation of the capture of these settlements at the moment, but there will be movement in the coming days.
➖ The enemy strengthens the direction to #Ray – #Aleksandrovka.
📌 Fire control of the road through #Khromovo is also maintained. The cost of its use is increasing. The same applies to the fields between #Khromovo and #Krasnoye.

🔹South:

➖ Fighting continues near #Krasnoye, which is held by the AFU. Our troops retain fire control over the road through #Krasnoye. The enemy’s attempts to push back the Wagner PMC from the road are not yet successful.
📌 One can expect attempts by the AFU to counterattack in the direction of #Kleshchiyevka, including with the use of reserves from Chasov Yar and #Konstantinovka.

🔹City:

➖ The assault on the industrial zone of the AZOM plant continues. The enemy confirms the advancement of the Wagner PMC assault squads.
➖ There is an advance towards the centre of the city from the Zabakhmutka area, where mopping-up activities are still ongoing.
➖ The fighting is gradually shifting to the western part of the city, where the enemy expects to continue its defence.
📌 There are currently no signs of the collapse of organised resistance, although the number of deserters and defectors continues to increase in some of the AFU Brigades.

Boris Rozhin specially for Voenkor Kotenok Z (https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/46061); pub. 21:59

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are experiencing significant difficulties in the battles for Artyomovsk due to the lack of reliable transport routes, writes The Wall Street Journal.

According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian units “suffer heavy losses” mainly due to the fact that the routes along which they transported ammunition and evacuated the wounded are “no longer available,” and alternative routes that run along country roads are “impassable for wheeled vehicles.”

Earlier, the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky said that the situation in Artemovsk remains difficult. According to the latest reports, Russian forces have cut or taken under fire control all paved roads to the city.

To make it clear, the defeat of Wagner and the deblockade of Bakhmut became an idefix both for Zaluzhny and for the entire military-political leadership of Ukraine. The initially conceived PR campaign with the defense of the Bakhmut-Soledar fortified area, where the Khokhol concentrated up to 70 thousand people, was supposed to demonstrate to both Western mentors and the Ukrainian okhlos the invincibility of the crest army and the military genius of Zaluzhny, whose positions were somewhat shaken after an unsuccessful attack on Svatovo.

He was forgiven for gigantic losses for the sake of decisive victory. Peremogi did not come, the losses did not decrease, and in fact the Bakhmtut meat grinder was supposed to become that very famous “small victorious war”, which was supposed to give new trump cards, or even a joker, to the card layout of the Ukrainian commander in chief.

Everything did not go as planned, and the much smaller grouping of the Orchestra, both in personnel and in equipment, first took Soledar, and then bypassed Bakhmut and inflicted such losses in manpower and equipment on the enemy that he did not even think about the most negative forecasts.

Political expediency dictated its own, and now Bakhmut and the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are, in fact, at stake. Nobody thinks about Ukrainian cannon fodder, the main thing is to prevent the Mariupol scenario for the Bakhmut garrison and the subsequent loss of the title of “military genius”. Well, in this case, the Times will begin to place completely different Ukrainian commanders on its covers.

The Bakhmut-Konstantinovka highway has become the “umbilical cord” of AFU logistics in Artemovsk.

According to The Washington Post, the Bakhmut-Konstantynivka highway has become the “umbilical cord” of the Armed Forces’ defensive grouping in Artemivsk, calling this road “the highway of life.” The newspaper stresses that the supply of ammunition, reinforcements, and even water goes along this road. Characteristically, the route is regularly shot through by Russian troops, who are well aware of the strategic importance of this “umbilical cord” for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Speaking about the probable capture of Artemivsk, the newspaper writes that the “fall of Bakhmut” will not affect the outcome of the war, emphasizing the exaggerated numbers of losses in the ranks of the “Wagnerites.” However, even American journalists are forced to admit that holding this “fortress” at any cost has already depleted many AFU units, which, in turn, may lead to the disruption of the Ukrainian spring offensive.

It should be noted that the Ukrainian command continues to redeploy reserves to hold the city. At the same time, Ukrainian “TV experts” themselves, when talking about Artemovsk, increasingly mention a possible repeat of the encirclement and defeat of the AFU in 2015 near Debaltseve.
https://t.me/SLGmaps/226

What will the Wagners face after Artyomovsk?

 Assuming the mastery of the oldest city of Donbass within a month,  what’s next?

◻️The best option is to continue pressure on the Konstantinovka-Kramatorsk-Slavyansk line. The enemy must not rest even a day.

◻️The mentioned cities are not only the last frontier of serious defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbass, but also objects that are complex in the mountain-geological and urban sense. You need to be clear about this.

◻️Kramatorsk. Most likely, it will be he who will be the first to be taken after Artemovsk and Chasov Yar. Consists, in fact, of two cities. The old city rises like an amphitheater from the railway and the long-cooled factories – the metallurgical and cement plant “Pushka”

◻️From the north, the large settlements of Yasnogorka and Shpychkino press on it.

◻️New Kramatorsk or Sotsgorod was built in the 30-60s of the last century during the construction of the monster of the social industry – the Novokramatorsk machine-building plant and the heavy engineering plant with the Stankostroy residential complex.

The airfield is also located here, from here the villages to the south of the city are completely controlled.

◻️The total area of the Kramatorsk industrial zone alone is perhaps larger than the entire Artyomovsk.

◻️Slavyansk. The main feature of this city is the gently sloping Karachun peak, elongated towards Kramatorsk, from which not only Slavyansk, but also the suburbs of Kramatorsk are controlled.

◻️Konstantinovka. It is located in a deep giant ravine with steep slopes. The old part of the city will be the first on the way of Russian troops coming from Artemovsk. The new city lies at a glance when attacking from the south, from Yasinovataya.

◻️Fortunately, in Konstantinovka, all 11 factories have been dismantled into bricks, and only zinc is of interest for the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From the side of Donetsk, multiple fortified areas were built in the Kleban-Byk reserve.

Situation in the Ugledar Region: 12:00 13/03/2023

Units of the Eastern Military District supported by Special Forces of the Donetsk Army Corps (OBTF Kaskad) continue offensive operations within the Ugledar area.

Recently, a village was published by Operational-Battalion Tactical Formation “Kaskad” showcasing them taking prisoners within one of the high rise buildings of Ugledar (https://t.me/obtf_kaskad/1867). This atleast proves that our units have been able to progress within the city vicinity.

Within the surronding areas, units of the 155th Marine Brigade and the 36th Brigade make efforts to encircle Ugledar by reaching the Pivdenodonbass Coal Mine and also moving in the direction of Bohoiavlenka.

Offensive operations continue.

Nabrezhnye
To conclude briefly, the new slow and steady approach in Ugledarisky has proven to be more successful then previous offensive operations. Unlike last time, our units have priotized entrenching themselves within the vicinity of Ugledarisky.

Situation in the #Starobelsk Direction until 19:00 on 13 Mar 2023⚡️

🔹#Kupyansk Sector:

▪️ Both sides are fighting near the village of #Yagodnoye. Russian troops are supported by Su-25 tactical aircrafts and four Mi-8 helicopters.

▪️ Mortar crews of the 40th Separate Composite Battalion of the AFU conduct regular shelling of Russian positions in Gryanikovka. Target designation is provided by drones.

▪️ In #Kislovka, UAV crews use Mavik-3 copters to monitor the activities of Russian troops, while sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the AFU are operating at the #Kislovka – #Krakhmalnoye line.

▪️ The enemy is equipping the outposts of the 28th Separate Composite Battalion at the Krasnoye Pervoye – #Dvurechnaya line and the 109th Separate Composite Battalion near #Sinkovka. Ammunition has been delivered to 36th Separate Brigade’s strongholds in #Kamenka to maintain combat capability.

🔹#Liman Sector:

▪️ Six assault groups of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces’ 25th Separate Airborne Brigade, supported by several armoured vehicles, attempted to counterattack the positions of the Russian 144th Motorized Rifle Division to regain previously lost strongholds in the area of Balka Zhuravka. The Russian forces repulsed the attack, the enemy withdrew with losses.

▪️ In order to slow down the advance of the RF Armed Forces, the Ukrainian command redeployed operational reserve units to the frontline, which made another unsuccessful counterattack attempt.

❗️Over the past two days, the paratroopers of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade lost 20 militants killed and 32 wounded.

▪️ The enemy is carrying out a planned rotation of the personnel of the 13th Separate Air Assault Battalion of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade in the vicinity of #Torskoye, as well as transferring reserves to reinforce the forward positions west of the #Dibrova village.

#Chronicle of the Special Military Operation for 13 Mar 2023⚡️

🔹#Russia’s Border Areas:

▪️ In the #Bryansk region, Ukrainian terrorist formations struck the village of #Rakovka in Pogarsky district, power supply line and civilian infrastructure were damaged.
➖ In Sevsky district, in the villages of #Grudskaya and #Nekislitsa several residential buildings have been damaged, with no civilian casualties.

▪️ In the #Belgorod region, the enemy terrorists shelled the village of #Terebrino, Krasnoyaruzhsky district, damaging several houses.
➖ Over #Belgorod, Russian air defence systems intercepted four missiles. All targets were shot down, one woman was injured.

🔹#Starobelsk Direction (MAP (https://t.me/sitrepmaps/1562)):

▪️ In the #Kupyansk sector, Russian troops under air cover conduct an offensive towards #Yagodnoye.
➖ The enemy is preparing defensive positions at the Krasnoye Pervoye – #Dvurechnaya line.

▪️ In the #Liman sector near Balka Zhuravka, Russian units repulsed several attacks by Ukrainian paratroopers aimed at regaining positions lost the day before. The enemy, having suffered losses, was forced to withdrew.

🔹#Soledar (#Bakhmut) Direction:

▪️ Northwest of #Bakhmut, Wagner PMC units took several enemy strongholds near #Zaliznyanskoye.
➖ In Orekhovo-Vasilyevka, the AFU is fighting on the western outskirts of the village, trying to slow down the advance of the Russian assault squads.

▪️ In #Bakhmut, the “Wagnerians” are dislodging the enemy from underground communications on the territory of the Artyomovsk Metal Processing Plant (AZOM).
➖ In the southwest of the city, the PMC Wagner is expanding the zone of control in the area of Sobachevka and Budenovka, dislodging the enemy from several strongholds.

🔹#Donetsk Direction:

▪️ The AFU terrorists once again struck civilian infrastructure in #Donetsk and other towns in the republic.
➖ School No.58 was damaged in Kievsky district, there is destruction of housing in #Volnovakha and #Aleksandrovka, at least eight people were wounded, two were killed.

🔹#Zaporozhye Direction:

▪️ The enemy is completing (https://t.me/rybar/44577) the training of assault teams undergoing active training in Europe and western Ukraine.
➖ With the end of the spring thaw and the arrival of Western equipment, the Ukrainian command plans to launch a full scale offensive from several directions at once.

🔹#Kherson Direction on #SouthFront:

▪️ In #Kherson, a Russian reconnaissance team conducted a series of successful attacks on Ukrainian positions, eliminating AFU militants.
➖ A curfew was imposed in the city in an attempt to find saboteurs.

▪️ In Nova Kakhovka, an improvised explosive device was detonated in the area of the Tasty Ukraine canteen. Presumably, the target of the attack was the deputy of the Novaya Kakhovka military regional administration. The incident resulted in no casualties.

War Map and the Situation on the Fronts in the Evening of 13 Mar 2023; pub. 00:05⚡️

⚔️ Situation on the Fronts for the past Day

🔹#Svatovo – #Kremennaya Direction:

➖ The Russian Army, supported by aircraft, is fighting near #Yagodnoye.
➖ Also ours are advancing in the direction of #Terny, #Nevskoye and #Makeyevka.

🔹#Artyomovsk (#Bakhmut) Sector:

➖ Wagner PMC fighters are advancing in the direction of Orekhovo-Vasilyevka and #Zaliznyanskoye.
➖ In parallel, the “orchestrators” have begun (https://t.me/readovkanews/54580) to storm the underground communications of the “AZOM” plant.
➖ Also, ours approached the Chasov Yar – #Artyomovsk road, which is the most important supply route for the AFU.

🔹#Donetsk & #SouthDonetsk Directions:

➖ The RF Armed Forces continue to storm the centre of #Maryinka, in parallel ours are advancing in #Krasnogorovka. #Pervomayskoye is also being stormed.
➖ In addition, the RF Armed Forces are stepping up pressure on the AFU north of the #Opytnoye – #Vodyanoye line, bypassing #Avdeyevka.
➖ In #Ugledar the marines advanced in the dacha area.

🔹#Zaporozhye Direction:

▪️ Russian artillery was working all along the front line today.

💡Critical Infrastructure of 404 is regularly hit by the Russian army, but the results are very different from the autumn retaliatory strikes. That said, we use mostly cruise missiles, and that has a serious impact on the frequency of attacks. Our military-industrial complex is not currently capable of producing large numbers of high-tech projectiles. But the problem could be solved by creating an analogue of the CBU-102 cluster munition, which has been used successfully in Iraq, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. Why? Explains (https://t.me/readovkaru/2686) Readovka.

Special Operation, 13 Mar 2023, Main; pub. 22:13⚡️

▪️ Russian Ministry of Defence announced strikes in Krasny #Liman, #SouthDonetsk, #Zaporozhye and #Kherson directions;

▪️ Zelensky’s proposal to rename #Russia into Muscovy (Moskovia) belongs to ridiculous curiosities, #Russia is a great power and will remain #Russia, Peskov said;

▪️ Peskov said there are no prerequisites for a peaceful transition in #Ukraine right now;

▪️ #Russia is not against extending the “grain deal,” but only for 60 days, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vershinin said at the end of talks with #UN officials in #Geneva;

▪️ Moscow’s further position on the “grain deal” will be determined depending on real progress on normalizing #Russia’s agricultural exports, Vershinin said;

▪️ Xi Jinping intends to hold online meeting with Zelensky, presumably after likely visit to #Moscow, Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources;

▪️ Ukrainian Ministry of Defence announced the change of the commander of the group “North” – he became Brigadier General Krasilnikov;

▪️ International Criminal Court to open two cases of “war crimes” linked to special operation, requests detention of several people, New York Times reported citing sources;

▪️ Ukrainian military has completed training in Germany, during which they mastered Leopard 2 tanks, German news agency dpa reported;

▪️ Leopard 2 tanks have not yet been spotted on the line of contact, but that does not mean that the equipment has not yet arrived in Kiev, retired LPR Lieutenant Colonel Marochko said.

Russian Defence Ministry Report on the Progress of the Special Military Operation (13 March 2023)⚡️

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
 
💥In Kupyansk direction, units and artillery of the ‘Zapad’ Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) close to Masyutovka, Krakhmalnoye (Kharkov region), Stelmakhovka and Rozovka (Lugansk People’s Republic).

◽️Over 60 Ukrainian servicemen and two motor vehicles were eliminated.
 
💥In Krasny Liman direction, artillery of the ‘Tsentr’ Group of Forces engaged manpower and military hardware of the enemy close to Nevskoye, Chervona Dibrova (Lugansk People’s Republic), Terny and Grigorovka (Donetsk People’s Republic).

◽️Over the past 24 hours, up to 110 Ukrainian troops, two pick-up trucks, and a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit have been neutralised in this direction.
 
💥In Donetsk direction, the ‘Yug’ Group of Forces, aviation, and artillery have eliminated up to 190 Ukrainian troops, three tanks, two armoured fighting vehicles, fourteen motor vehicles, and Msta-B howitzers over the past 24 hours.
 
💥In South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Operational-Tactical and Army aviation and artillery of the ‘Vostok’ Group of Forces carried out a complex shelling of AFU units in the areas of Ugledar (Donetsk People’s Republic), Poltavka, Gulyapole, and Shcherbaki (Zaporozhye region).

◽️As many as 60 Ukrainian servicemen, two pick-up trucks, and D-20 and D-30 howitzers were neutralised in these areas during the day.
 
💥In Kherson direction, the fire damage has neutralised up to 20 Ukrainian servicemen, five motor vehicles, two Akatsiya self-propelled howitzers, and a Msta-B howitzer during the day.
 
💥Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have hit 76 AFU artillery units at their firing positions, enemy’s manpower and hardware in 148 areas during the day.

◽️A Ukrainian OSA-AKM anti-aircraft missile system was engaged close to Pervomayskoye (Donetsk People’s Republic).
 
◽️Air defence forces shot down 12 HIMARS MLRS shells and one HARM anti-radiation missile during the day.

💥In addition, 16 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in the areas of Novovodyane, Svatovo, Novoaleksandrovka, Novokrasnyanka (Lugansk People’s Republic), Vladimirovka, Yegorovka (Donetsk People’s Republic), Vasilyevka (Zaporozhye region), New Zburyevka, as well as Konstantinovka (Kherson region).
 

Europe will have to send its soldiers to war if the “human resource” of Ukraine runs out, said the head of the Hungarian Defense Ministry.

“The West decided not to localize the conflict but to bring it to a general level… Now we are at the point where we need to participate; we need to get involved, first by voting for sanctions, then with money, then only with defense means; now we already see that they are sending tanks, Leopard, fighter jets are also on the way, and if this continues, soldiers will be needed if Ukrainian human resources run out. “Europe will end up in the middle of a war.”

By mid-April, almost all the weapons promised by the West will reach Kyiv: with what the Armed Forces of Ukraine plan to go on a spring offensive

Agreed batches of Western armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, tanks and artillery installations have already begun to arrive in Ukraine. Despite the delays and repairs that were required to bring military equipment into working condition, most of the 1,034 units of military equipment will be transferred to Kyiv by mid-April.

Readovka has studied what weapons will reach the Kyiv regime before the start of the planned spring offensive. At the moment, the EU and NATO countries have already transferred 14 armored combat vehicles, 90 infantry fighting vehicles, 100 armored personnel carriers and 34 tanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. By the end of spring, the total number of delivered combat vehicles (armored personnel carriers, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles) will be 562 vehicles. Also at the disposal of Kyiv will be 381 armored vehicles. In addition, Ukraine is counting on 42 self-propelled artillery installations, but the UK, which promised to transfer 30 self-propelled guns, may refuse to supply, so by mid-spring Kiev may have only 12 French installations.

Despite the apparent unity of the NATO and EU countries on the issue of military support to Ukraine, only the United States can afford to take and allocate a one-time tangible batch of weapons: by mid-spring they will send 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers and 181 MRAP armored vehicles to Kiev. But the EU countries are forced to look for tanks, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles in their warehouses for a long time and are ready to give Ukraine not as much as Zelensky would like. France, for example, found only 14 AFVs suitable for Kyiv, and Poland – 60 tanks, the delivery of which has already stretched out for several months. Ukraine is also waiting for 100 Leopard 1 tanks from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, but the first 20 units will reach Kyiv no earlier than summer, and the remaining 80 only by 2024.

Whether this weapon will be enough for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to go on the offensive is still unknown, but this threat must be remembered, being aware that, in technical terms, the entire defense industry of the collective West will have to resist.

Trump’s response to Tucker Carlson’s question — sent to all Republican presidential candidates — whether the US should support regime change in Russia:
“No. We should support regime change in the United States. That’s far more important.”

“Brothers and sisters, you should not stand aside, because “whoever confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before my Father (Matthew 10:32-36).” We elected these deputies and today we have to give an answer: as we chose, we can also remove it, as is customary in the democratic world. We must defend our faith, we must not shame the Church, even if they shoot me. I’m not afraid of death. We are not for riots, not for revolutions, let us pray and pray as we want, as we have been taught,” said Metropolitan Pavel last night.

Today’s statements regarding the event:

“The Apocalypse Begins in Ukraine” – the Vicar of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Metropolitan Pavel is not afraid of execution and intends to defend the shrine to the last

The abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel, commented on the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to expel more than 200 monks of the UOC from the monastery by March 29 and urged parishioners who were ready to listen to a sermon even on the street not to stand aside. According to the metropolitan, “the devil cannot stand it when believers pray,” so he does everything possible to stop conversations with God in the Lavra.

“And the pocalypse begins with Ukraine, but we will defend our rights and shrines to the last. There are people who have put on the clothes of priests who dream of defiling everything they can, they have desecrated the Assumption and Refectory Cathedral ,” the Metropolitan addressed the parishioners.

The same rector of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra called the Ukrainian authorities “grandchildren of the leaders of the October Revolution”, who carried out repressions against Orthodoxy. He also urged Ukrainians to defend their faith at any cost: “ Let them even shoot me. I’m not afraid of death. We are not for riots, not for revolutions, let us pray and pray as we want, as we have been taught ,” the Metropolitan said.

In today’s evening address, Zelensky actually confirmed the fact of his personal decision to expel Orthodox monks from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

He said it was “a movement to strengthen our spiritual independence.” And he called it “quite legal” steps, which Ukrainians, in his opinion, approve of.

“And we will continue this movement of ours. We will not allow a terrorist state to have at least some opportunity to manipulate the spirituality of our people,” Zelensky said.

Remember how the US insists that Ukraine is freedom, democracy, tolerance, and generally everything good? Well, today the Zelensky regime ordered the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (the one in communion with Moscow) to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra by the end of March, because the government has decided they had (somehow, unspecified) “violated” the terms of their 2013 agreement to administer the “historic national preserve.”

Zelensky’s regime has been going after the UOC for months, and the Lavra — founded in 1051, so about a thousand years older than Ukrainian statehood — is the big prize. In January, he quietly evicted the UOC from two churches adjacent to the monastery, and immediately allowed the heretical, schismatic, registered-in-a-police-station-by-the-coup-regime “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU) to hold services there. You can bet real money the OCU will be all over the Lavra within days, if the eviction is successful.

Which I think it will be, sadly. Though the UOC is refusing to leave, Zelensky’s goons have no qualms about removing them by force. Who’s going to criticize them, the State Department’s office of “religious freedom,” which is actually colluding with the OCU? The western “media,” which carry water for literal Nazis on a daily basis, and for whom Ukrainian nationalists can do no wrong? Yeah, right.

Ukrainian statehood — such as it is — began in 1991. The Church and the Lavra predate it by centuries. But a totalitarian state cannot tolerate any competing authority, and Ukraine is a totalitarian state. Simple as.

The monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC MP) will not comply with the order to leave the monastery at the request of the museum-reserve, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

Such a position was voiced by the vicar of the Holy Assumption Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Paul:

“We do not intend to be evicted and will not be, because now there are laws that are on the side of the person.” It is not the 17th year that we are threatened with “we will be dealt with.” Today there is a world community. There is some culture.
He stressed that the monks of the UOC are citizens of Ukraine and do not violate any laws.

“We are not collaborators; we are citizens of our country; we are people who have lived here since 1988; many have no other place but here.”

The problem is that power in Kiev is now in the hands of NATO occupiers and Nazi bastards, so we are left to pray to Our Lord that there will be no casualties among His servants who are willing to sacrifice themselves for the True Faith.

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