– Slava Ukraine! it is shouted. The slogan means glory to Ukraine. Some pray and others sing the national anthem. What they have in common is that they are pissed off. For over 1,000 years, monks have lived in a stately monastery on a hill above Kyiv. But now it may be over. For this week, Ukrainian authorities said the monks must leave. Slogans are shouted both for and against the monks in front of the monastery. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news They are accused of being pro-Russian, and over 50 monks are accused of treason and collaboration with Moscow. Demonstrating both for and against Several demonstrators have gathered outside the monastery on Sunday. Pavlo Virysj (23) has turned up with a poster outside the monastery. He does not want these monks in Kyiv. – I think it is disgusting to have them here while we have a war, he says. Pavlo Virysh (23) stands with a poster outside the Grotteklosteret in Kyiv. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Other attendees defend the monks. Anastasia (23) hopes that the protesters will stop showing up in front of her church. She won’t say her last name. – They don’t let us pray, says Anastasia and continues: – These monks don’t support Russia, they support Ukraine. I know that they raised a lot of money for Ukrainians during the war. The leader under house arrest The monks belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which until recently was under the Russian Orthodox Church. The monks have denied the accusations and believe they cut ties last year when the war broke out. The monastery’s leader, Metropolitan Pavel, rejects accusations that he supports the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here he is sentenced to house arrest. Photo: Mstyslav Chenov / AP The authorities have said they will not use force to remove the monks for the time being. They have left the monastery to another group of monks, who have no ties to Russia. Ukrainian security forces have searched the monastery, and the leader, Metropolitan Pavel, has been placed under house arrest for 60 days. In a court hearing on Saturday, Pavel said that the allegations that he supports Russia are politically motivated. Anastasia has shown up to support the monks, several days in a row. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news
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