Review of the book by V. N. Rogatin "Persecution of Orthodoxy in Ukraine in 2014-2016"

Abstract

The publication presents a review of the book "Persecution of Orthodoxy in Ukraine in 2014-2016", authored by Vladimir Rogatin, Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Kazan Federal University. The book by its nature represents a chronicle of events in relation to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The author of the book describes the position of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate after the events of 2014 in Kiev, called "Euromaidan". The new government in Kiev began to pursue a policy of squeezing out any organizations that have ties with Russia. This anti-Russian policy spread to religious organizations, which led to a wave of repression against Orthodox communities, which are in canonical subordination to the Moscow Patriarchate. The author has documented the facts of the seizure of temples and their transfer to the subordination of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate, incitement of hatred against and violent actions against parishioners and clergy from the Ukrainian radicals. In the book there are illustrations of victims of the shelling of the temples of Donbass during active hostilities in 2014-2015. The events in Ukraine led to the fact that the religious majority found itself in the position of the most discriminated and persecuted community, while the most favorable conditions were created for religious minorities.

The paper describes the nature of the source base and features of the presentation of information in the book. The review shows the strengths and weaknesses of the book Rogatin, assesses its place in the Russian historiography of the position of Orthodoxy in Ukraine after Euromaidan.