Some 100-150 pro-Ukrainian activists have set up a roadblock in the approaches to the city of Boryspil in Kyiv region to prevent a sacred procession organized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate from crossing the city, Channel 24 reported on July 25.
“They promise not to let the procession of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate through,” a posting in the channel’s micro blog says.
The posting is accompanied by a photo of scores of people, mainly men, standing along the highway. They are holding national flags and red-and-black flags of OUN-UPA which is banned in Russia.
On July 22 the city council of Boryspil banned the All-Ukrainian procession of peace, love and prayer for Ukraine organized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church across the city “with the purpose of avoiding the provocation of religious conflicts and massive unrest and preventing a traffic collapse.” Law enforcement bodies were instructed to guarantee order and public security.
The All-Ukraine sacred procession with a prayer for peace in Ukraine started in the east of the country from the Sviatohorsk Monastery on July 3 and in the west of the country from the Pochayiv Monastery on July 9. The two processions are to meet in Kyiv at St. Volodymyr Hill and proceed together to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, where a ceremonial service will be held on July 27, the eve of the celebration of the Day of Baptism of Rus.
The Ukrainian police reported that the procession would come to Kyiv region from Poltava region via Oleksiyivka, Yahotyn, Berezan, Lebedyn, Boryspil and Kyiv and also from Zhytomyr region via Prud, Sytniaky, Makariv, Kolonschyna, Dmytrivka and Kyiv.
In Kyiv region, the procession is due on July 22 through July 26. Some 600 police officers as well as the National Guard escort it and are responsible for security.
