Have the talking points on the Svyatohorsk killing already been launched?
On "Espreso," viewers are led to believe that nothing terrible happened and that the monks of the MP are not particularly worth pitying.
Four days have already passed since the tragedy at Svyatohorsk Lavra, where unknown assailants killed one monk and wounded two others. The case is highly resonant. How did the authorities respond? The answer is simple and no less shocking for it: with total silence. The only thing that appeared was a statement from the local police about the opening of a criminal case. But even that statement came only in response to a journalist's inquiry from one of the news outlets. In other words, had there been no inquiry, we would have heard nothing at all.
Moreover, it is not only the authorities who are silent, but almost all media outlets as well — which speaks for itself. Without "recommendations" handed down from above, something like this would simply be impossible — the case is far too scandalous. However, those at the top understand that the matter cannot be completely buried, and so talking points are already being launched about exactly how to present the tragedy in Svyatohorsk.
One of them can be seen on one of the central television channels — "Espreso": "Who stabbed the monk? The slaughter at Svyatohorsk Lavra."
The key word the anchor uses is "allegedly." "Allegedly an attack," "allegedly occurred," and so on. But what is even more striking is not that, but the tone and manner of delivery — with mockery and gloating. This is especially noticeable in the derisive articulation of the abbreviation UOC M-P. Viewers are led to believe that nothing terrible happened and that the monks of the MP are not particularly worth pitying. And in general — who knows what went on there, who was cutting whom.
This is the second talking point. On social media, through certain bloggers, the thesis is already being floated that things are not so clear-cut and that what may have occurred in the monastery was an ordinary domestic "knife fight." The implication being that the Moscow priests were settling scores and couldn't divide something up — perfectly normal behavior for them.
However, the police have already opened a case, which means there must be results from the investigation. Moreover, one of the victims recounted that he was stabbed by people in uniform for giving the "wrong" response to "Glory to Ukraine." What crisis management scenario might be deployed in such a difficult situation?
We would not be surprised if, in the end, some soldier suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is presented to us — someone who was forced to defend himself against the aggression of the "Moscow priests" and simply went a little too far. We have seen such examples before. For instance, the case of Stернenko, who in 2018 chased down and stabbed his offender in what was framed as "self-defense."
Of course, such a scenario seems far-fetched, but today it is entirely plausible. We shall simply watch and see.
