Today, the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Olha Kuryshko, met with Metropolitan Klyment of Simferopol and Crimea at the Mission. The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Permanent Representative, Denys Chystikov.

The discussion focused on the religious persecution of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine by Russian occupiers and the destruction of cultural heritage sites in temporarily occupied Crimea. Additionally, Metropolitan Klyment congratulated Olha Kuryshko on her appointment.

One of the key issues raised during the meeting was the opening of criminal proceedings by Ukraine regarding religious persecution in Crimea. Metropolitan Klyment emphasized that before the occupation, he had developed the Crimean Diocese to operate autonomously, without direct reliance on mainland Ukraine. However, the situation drastically changed after the full-scale invasion in 2022, when the occupation administration intensified efforts to eradicate all traces of Ukrainian identity in occupied Crimea.

The participants of the meeting devoted special attention to the destruction of cultural heritage sites by Russian occupiers. The Permanent Representative emphasized the importance of assessing the damage caused by the occupation and compiling a register of cultural heritage sites in Crimea.

During the discussion, it was noted that, in addition to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which had previously addressed the issue of destroyed churches in Crimea, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine has also joined these efforts. A dedicated department is being established, with the involvement of the Security Service of Ukraine. It was highlighted that such cases are currently classified under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, “Violation of the laws and customs of war.”

The meeting also addressed the construction of the so-called “New Chersonesus” by the occupation administrations. Olha Kuryshko stressed that Russia is using religious events in Chersonesus as a tool to influence youth and that it is crucial to develop counter-narratives to counteract these efforts.

The participants of the meeting emphasized that the construction of the so-called “New Chersonesus” is a crime that destroys historical heritage. The Stalinist Empire-style architecture has desecrated the spirit of this place, while propagandist imagery depicting scenes from the Crimean and Second World Wars has turned it into an extension of the infamous military cathedral in Moscow.

At the end of the meeting, the attendees stressed the importance of fostering interfaith dialogue among Crimeans and identifying a suitable platform for such discussions.