Clergy cursed for blessing the enemy

The Orthodox priest from Slovyansk is a humble man, known for his piety and social endeavour. He blesses orphans, the homeless and local policemen.

Yet as the clouds of war gather over Ukraine, Archpriest Oleg Khiznyakov is remembered by many for one blessing – the one he gave to a group of pro-Russian separatists, including Igor Girkin, a former colonel wanted by Dutch prosecutors for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

‘‘I have lost count of how many times I have read in Ukrainian newspapers that I am the priest who blessed separatists,’’ Khiz- nyakov said. ‘‘They allege that I am ‘The separatist priest still in his role’ and ask their readers why, as if I should be sacrificed.’’

Khiznyakov is accused in a database of alleged enemies of Ukraine to be ‘‘an accomplice of terrorists and Russian invaders’’. But he has never faced charges for the blessing eight years ago, and is widely admired in the eastern city of Slovyansk.

His case typifies the febrile nature of Ukraine’s predicament, which could cause the conflict to spill into local communities in the event of any clash between regular armies.

The 48-year-old priest belongs to the division of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that works under the authority of the Moscow patriarch, which was historically the largest religious body in Ukraine.

The church’s links to Moscow were not a source of division until the start of the war in eastern

Ukraine that followed Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Since then, people have become increasingly antagonised by repeated photographs of Orthodox priests beside Russian soldiers, as well as the highprofile alliance between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the church’s leader in Moscow, Patriarch Kirill.

At the request of Ukraine’s president in 2019, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople granted Ukrainian priests independence from Moscow. The move caused the Russian Church to sever ties with Constantinople.

Putin, who has promoted the Russian Orthodox Church to advocate Moscow’s dominion over former Soviet citizens, was outraged. The schism played out across Ukraine as priests were regarded with suspicion by

different congregations.

In 2014, Slovyansk was briefly occupied by pro-Russian separatists led by Girkin. During their three-month tenure, an armed group entered Khiznyakov’s church to have their banners blessed. Ukraine state security services members who questioned the priest said he had no charges to answer.

In 2020, another photo surfaced of Khiznyakov blessing Ukrainian police officers at a graduation ceremony. Tatyana Derkach, a religious activist, posted pictures of the event reminding people that he was the same priest who ‘‘blessed separatist flags’’. The investigation was briefly reopened and closed.

Khiznyakov has shrugged off the denouncements. ‘‘A blessing on earth can be revoked in heaven,’’ he said.