National Police explains why sacred procession of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate cannot be banned

About 4,500 police officers will ensure safety during the sacred procession organized by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Kyiv.

Head of the National Police Khatia Dekanoidze said this on the air of 112 TV channel, Ukrainska Pravda online newspaper reports.

“Our crucial task is to avoid any provocations during the sacred procession, and the most important for us, as for the police, is to ensure public order and security,” Dekanoidze said.

According to Dekanoidze, the recent assassination of journalist Pavel Sheremet in downtown Kyiv have raised doubts concerning holding the public events in the city.

“After the explosion, which occurred in downtown Kyiv (the murder of Pavel Sheremet), I personally was doubtful about holding some public events in Kyiv, but we have the Constitution and it clearly stipulates the rights to rallies, free movement, etc. This is very important, and, of course, the ‘procession’ is likely to march through Kyiv,” she said.

“We will make every effort to make it calm and quiet,” Dekanoidze added.

As reported, about 50 Ukrainian nationalists set up a roadblock at the 19th km of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr highway in order not to let the participants of the sacred procession in Kyiv on July 25.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate stated that the sacred procession would be held in Kyiv in spite of picketing.

According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defenсe Ministry of Ukraine, the Russian security services plan to use the sacred procession of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in order to organize provocations.