Meanwhile the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate will hold a separate ceremony at the St. Volodymyr Patriarchal Cathedral, and will be joined by some opposition leaders.
Ukrainian Orthodoxy remains divided since 1991 when it split in three – the Moscow Patriarchate, the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Autocephalous Church (which is technically older, but only regained official recognition in 1990). The Moscow Patriarchy regards the other two as renegade churches.
Yanukovych has been accused of sympathizing with the Moscow Patriarchy,  having invited Kirill to Ukraine on a number of occasions and causing irritation to many who view his presence as an attempt by Russia to exert undue influence over the country.  
However, Ukraine is a secular country where religion is separated from the state – at least officially. It also is a country of many faiths, including Catholicism, various Protestant churches, Judaism, Islam and others. One would think that a wise statesman would ensure that the heads of all the major churches and faiths be present at major events to showcase a unified country to the world.
Yanukovych seems to think otherwise. He has been walking a tightrope between Russia and the West since he became president in 2010. Many were surprised when his friendship with Russia deteriorated as he declined to join the Russia-led Customs Union, proclaiming European integration a priority instead. Gas was another stumbling block, as Yanukovych keeps pushing for lower prices from Russia while refusing to give up the nation’s strategically important gas transportation and storage system – a prize Russia has been eyeing for years.
But Yanukovych can only push Russia so far. After all, he’s up for re-election in 2015, and he needs as much support as he can get. Also, the gas storage season is in full swing and Ukraine desperately needs to keep its gas bill from growing too much. Playing host to Putin and Kirill may not be enough to sway the negotiations, but Yanukovych needs every possible favor he can get.
Yet what comes out is – once again – the picture of a divided nation that is being pulled toward the so-called Russkiy Mir (Russian World), a neo-imperialist ideology that essentially denies Ukrainian statehood. By going against the local religious denominations and favoring Moscow, Yanukovych is sending the same message