You're reading: Ukrainian Orthodox Church calls for halt of bloodshed in Kyiv

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) has called for a halt of the bloodshed in Kyiv and prevention of a civil war. 

“Since the beginning of the political crisis and in the course of the
entire period of this conflict, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has more
than once called for a halt of violence and a peaceful solution to the
conflict. To our great regret, the voice of the Church has not been
heard,” the property management of Metropolitan of Boryspil and Brovar
Antoniy said in a statement.

The document states that the Church condemns the bloodshed.

“Immediately stop violence and resume dialogue! Our country has been
on the verge of a national catastrophe for three months now. Everyone,
the authorities, the opposition, and each one of us should realize our
responsibility to God for our actions. Unfortunately, the threat of a
civil war and an economic collapse is becoming increasingly real in
Ukraine,” the document says.

According to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, nine police officers
were killed and 114 people were hospitalized in Kyiv on February 18-19.
Reports on the death of several protesters came last night. The bodies
of some of them were located in the Mykhailivsky Monastery, where a
field hospital has been deployed.

The number of wounded people is estimated between several hundred and 1,000