Russian Orthodox Priest Suspended After Blessing Ukraine-Bound Fighters
By RFE/RL
The Russian Orthodox Church has suspended a priest for incendiary comments he made during a send-off for dozens of fighters preparing to join pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Local diocese authorities in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg said in a March 26 statement that the priest, Vladimir Zaitsev, broke with the church’s position on the bloody conflict in Ukraine by encouraging the fighters to battle Ukrainian forces he described as “fascist scum.”
They said his March 11 comments, which were captured on film, should not be considered a "blessing for carrying out a fratricidal war."
They said a decision on whether to reinstate Zaitsev will be made after Easter.
More than 6,000 people have been killed in the conflict since April 2014.
Western governments accuse the Kremlin of providing arms and personnel to the separatists, a charge Moscow denies.
With reporting by Reuters
In Dnipropetrovsk, Kolomoyskiy's Departure Leaves No One Indifferent
This week's surprise ouster of oligarch and Dnipropetrovsk Governor Ihor Kolomoyskiy has prompted strong emotions among locals, who -- love him or hate him -- acknowledge the key role he's played in keeping the eastern region safe.
'I Wanted To Die' -- In Russia, A Woman's Life Unravels After Trip To Kyiv
The director of a Ukrainian choir in Russia has had her life turned upside down since the crisis erupted in Ukraine.
Ukraine arrests Turkish cargo ship over Crimea port call
KIEV, March 27 (Reuters) - Ukrainian authorities have arrested a Turkish-owned cargo ship and detained its captain over a visit it made to a port in Crimea after Russian annexed the peninsula from Ukraine last year.
Prosecutors said the Tuvalu-registered 5,095 deadweight tonne ship Kanton was being held in the Ukrainian port of Kherson. They said the crew could go to jail for up to three years and the ship could be seized.
The vessel's Istanbul-based owner, Master Shipping Ltd, called the detention illegal.
Russia seized Crimea shortly after Ukrainian protesters toppled a pro-Moscow president in February 2014. Ukraine has said any visit to Crimean ports is illegal, and a ban came into effect in July last year.
Master Shipping told Reuters on Friday that the Kanton called at Sevastopol in Crimea on July 24, 2014 to pick up a cargo of feed barley.
But it said this was before Ukraine had notified international shipping companies and insurers of the ban, and that Ukrainian authorities had later acknowledged this and cleared the vessel to enter other ports.
"The Ukrainian authorities have, despite their written permission, forcefully seized our papers and made the decision to detain our vessel after preventing the vessel's departure for 17 days," it said.
Master Shipping said the 12 crew members, mostly Turkish nationals, were on board the vessel, and none of them had been involved in the disputed Crimean visit.