On February 14, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and all Ukraine held a
meeting with the permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in
the occupied Crimea, Anton Korynevych, the press service of the OCU reports.
The President’s representative was accompanied by his First Deputy,
Daria Svyrydova, and Deputy Tamila Tasheva. The meeting was also
attended by the Chairman of the public Association of relatives of
political prisoners of the Kremlin, Igor Kotelyanets.
The head of the OCU discussed with high-ranking guests the difficult
situation in the annnexed Crimea and the occupied part of Donbas. They
discussed, in particular, the significant oppression experienced in
Crimea by the faithful of the OCU, in the diocese headed by Archbishop
Klyment, and representatives of the Crimean Tatar people.
Metropolitan Epifaniy spoke about a number of meetings during his
visit to the United States and communication with Secretary of State
Michael Pompeo in Kyiv, during which the issue of violation of human
rights, in particular freedom of religion, was repeatedly raised in the
territories occupied by the aggressor country.
They also discussed the detention of political prisoners by Russia, about 80% of whom are Crimean Tatars.