Interior Ministry will not allow provocations based on religious views

11:24, 09.11.2018 1 min read

Ukraine's Interior Ministry Arsen Avakov has again said law-enforcement agencies won't permit provocations based on stoking religious hatred.

"We will stop any situation where goons [titushki] and militants are hired. This will apply to right-wing radicals, and left-wing radicals, any radicals. The police force is strong enough to prevent provocations on religious grounds. Even if these people plaster themselves with trident stickers, they will be engaging in anti-state actions… and we will stop it," Avakov said on the TVA channel (Chernivtsi) on Thursday.

According to Avakov, in connection with the beginning of the process of granting the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs particularly points to the inadmissibility of acts of arbitrariness and extremism on the basis of religious hatred or intolerance.

The minister said police had already detained about 100 persons stoking religious provocations at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. He said he met with representatives of religious denominations and discussed possible provocations.

Avakov has called on politicians not to manipulate religious themes, in particular, the creation of the United Ukrainian Orthodox Church.