Tens of thousands of followers of the Russian Orthodox church in Ukraine held a cross-bearing procession in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which led the annual march on July 27, says it wants to promote Ukraine’s ties with Russia.
The event was held under tight security following previous threats of violence from Ukrainian nationalist groups, who support the rival Kyiv-based Orthodox patriarchate. They see the procession as a provocation by Moscow.
Another procession will be held on July 28 by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, which says it wants to promote Ukrainian national unity. Both events mark the conversion of Kievan Rus, the forerunner of modern Ukraine and Russia, to Christianity.
The July 28 events commemorated the date in 988 of the baptism of Prince Vladimir, who was the leader of a federation of Slavic tribes known as Kievan Rus.
Centuries later, the federation evolved into the Russian Empire.
Underscoring how deeply politics have become intertwined with religion, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to thousands of clergy and believers in Moscow, at a statue dedicated to Prince Vladimir.
Adopting Christianity was „the starting point for the formation and development of Russian statehood, the true spiritual birth of our ancestors, the determination of their identity. Identity, the flowering of national culture and education,“ Putin said.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, referenced the fact that Putin shares a first name with Prince Vladimir.
„I think there is no such thing as a coincidence, especially when we are talking about people whose actions truly change the world,“ Kirill told Putin.
