About eighty representatives of the Svoboda Organization, the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, the Ukrainian National Assembly – Ukrainian Nationalist Self Defense Organization and the Ukrainian People's Party staged a protest on Tuesday outside the Ukrainian House in Kyiv against the visit by Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarch Kirill to Ukraine.
During the protest, representatives of the Svoboda Organization staged a theatrical performance entitled "A Glamorous Tour by a Kremlin KGB Staffer," an Interfax-Ukraine reporter informed.
On July 26 the police prevented the staging of the same performance near Sofiyska Square. Eight representatives of the Svoboda Organization were detained.
However, on Tuesday the performance went ahead. Three activists wore masks portraying the faces of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Premier Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill with epaulettes reading "Federal Security Service." During the performance "Medvedev" and "Putin" dressed "the patriarch" in his robes and sent him to Ukraine to persuade nationalists that "there is no such state as Ukraine." Then two men took the robes off "the patriarch" and "drove him away from Ukraine" presenting him a ticket to Moscow.
The other participants in the event held party and state flags and posters reading "Patriarch Kirill Troubles Waters in Ukraine," "Away With the Moscow Priest-Colonizer," and chanted "Away With the Moscow Priest," "Kirill-Suitcase-Station-Russia." The participants of the event also unrolled a national flag 45 meters in length 30 meters in width near the Ukrainian House.
Riot police are maintaining order near Ukrainian House. About 30 police officers surrounded the protestors.
The event took place calmly without any conflict with the police.
At 1000 Patriarch Kirill was to conduct a solemn prayer to mark Day of the Baptism of the Kyivan Rus at Volodymyrska Hill. The first National TV Channel was to broadcast it.
Video provided by TSN.
