Following Russia’s recent annexation of Crimea, the Kiev Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church has faced several instances of discrimination from Russian authorities. Though the second largest Orthodox Church in Ukraine after the Moscow Patriarchate, the Kiev Patriarchate is not considered canonical by any other Orthodox church. Most recently, Russian authorities steeply increased the rent on a state-owned church building rented by the Kiev Patriarchate in Crimea’s capital, Simferopol, in what appears to be a targeted attempt to price out this religious community.

By Felix Corley

6/27/2014 Crimea (Forum 18) – The Kiev Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church is concerned by what it thinks is an attempt to price its Simferopol and Crimea Diocesan Cathedral and offices out of its rented premises in central Simferopol. The Church has rented the building since 1995, Archbishop Kliment (Kushch), head of the Diocese, told Forum 18 from Simferopol on 25 June.

In 1996 ultimate ownership was transferred from a disbanded military base to the Crimean Property Fund. In 1997, under a Crimean Supreme Council decree, rent was set at the symbolic level of 1 Ukrainian Hryvnia (…0.08 US Dollars) a month…  A 16 May 2001 Supreme Council decree – seen by Forum 18 – governs the Church’s use of the building, whose size it gives as 1,475.7 square metres (15,900 square feet).

However, on 18 April 2014, the State Council (which replaced the Supreme Council) adopted a new decree – seen by Forum 18 – amending the 2001 decree and changing the basis on which rent is levied.

Archbishop Kliment told Forum 18 that the change would result in the Diocese having to pay about 160 Russian Roubles per square metre per month (236,112 Roubles, or 42,990 Norwegian Kroner, 5,145 Euros, or 7,000 US Dollars a month). “We’re a non-commercial organisation – how can we pay commercial rates? We live on donations.”

He insisted that this had been done by design. “If I lose the Cathedral the Diocese will not be able to function and will be liquidated as an organisation. The Crimean authorities are doing all they can to liquidate us.”

Lyudmila Khorozova, who has headed the Property Rental Department of Crimea’s Property Fund for some years… insisted that the decision was “not against the church.” “There is no discrimination in relation to this particular church.”

…She was unable to explain why a decree was adopted affecting solely one community.
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