Drabinko, Novinsky and UOC: how Church is used in political row

It’s not for one month that mass media have been mongering a conflict inside the UOC. Though the realityof this conflict is subject to reservations and critique, mass media have been still promoting an idea of confrontation between Member of Parliament Vadim Novinsky and Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko).

Furthermore, in the situation at hand information resources are inclined to depict Drabinko as a confrontation victim of the MP, where Mr. Novinsky appears very nearly as an arch-prosecutor of the UOC. The point is that all factual information mass media operate with on the matter is far from being true. A month-long clash of the two personalities is dressed up in the church garb. There are several reasons to that.

Novinsky in the UOC: a new or a dear old person?

In his numerous publications met. Alexander (Drabinko) points regularly to the fact that Vadim Novinsky, together with former President of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych, tried allegedly to sideline the deceased UOC Primate – Metropolitan Vladimir. Without paying attention to the motives of such behavior of theirs (since there aren’t any in fact), Drabinko has repeatedly emphasized an idea that having oligarchs in the Church is a very harmful phenomenon.

In сhis own column of “Word and Action” edition Metropolitan Alexander writes about Novinsky: “Criminal liability for an oligarch? Frankly speaking, it would be a big political sensation. Moreover, it would be a symbolic act of oligarchy desacralization and drastic change of the whole impact structure within the Ukrainian society!” These words create an impression as if vladyka Alexander, sharing the nation-wide post-revolutionary uplift, came out against not only Novinsky, but the entire Ukrainian power brokers.

Despite all the rhetoric of met. Alexander on the matter in question, it’s worth mentioning that Vadim Novinsky, like many other MPs (oligarchs), was the one in entourage of the deceased UOC Primate. Once Vadim Novinsky started off his business activity in Ukraine, he immediately became a church patron. It was precisely Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) who introduced Mr. Novinsky to the social circle of His Beatitude Vladimir. In the last years of the Primate’s life vladyka Alexander at ease and without any scruples accepted donations from the “oligarch’s” hands reportedly for the “treatment needs of His Beatitude”.

One can only imagine what sums of money were donated by Vadim Novinsky for the UOC needs during the primateship of met. Vladimir and actual regency of vladyka Alexander (Drabinko). It’s noteworthy, the latter’s rhetoric with regard to Mr. Novinsky was essentially different. Basically, it’s clear why: it would be silly to bite the hand that feeds you.

Obviously, this idyll stopped when Vadim Novinsky got merely enough of Drabinko using him as a milk cow. Besides, some facts about personal life of the young Metropolitan and scandals around his persona, which disturbed the society one after another, definitely spoiled an image of his circle. Namely for this reason break-up of any ties with Drabinko was a sensible and expedient move undertaken by Vadim Novinsky.

A true reason of the conflict, or cui prodest

Outstanding is an issue why the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is involved in the clash between two persons? The answer is both figurants are directly related to the church environment. A criminal case on the alleged pressure of Mr. Novinsky on Metropolitan Vladimir, initiated by the State Political Administration, also has to do with the UOC. In fact, it is the only thing about the conflict that gets the Church involved.

No matter how sad it might be to acknowledge it, but Metropolitan Alexander (Drabinko) has left lots of dirty marks over the recent years. Under the previous government security agencies and law enforcement authorities, feeling sorry for ailing met. Vladimir, apparently did not start criminal proceedings against Drabinko. Though there was significant evidence against met. Alexander (just to take one case with kidnapping of nuns from Pokrovsky nunnery in Kiev, in which Drabinko confessed his being involved in the offence), his immunity, secured by his position of the Primate’s confidant, discarded all the claims.

However, “covered” cases can prove relevant sooner or later, as the post-revolutionary power showed it. In fact, Drabinko has turned into a small cog in the machine to discredit and politically destroy MP Novinsky. It may happen that the young metropolitan is subject to trivial intimidation, whose criminal proceedings, in which he was directly involved, can be considered by the court. This is the underpinning of all disputes between met. Alexander and Vadim Novinsky.

It’s not a secret to anyone that Vadim Novinsky – one of the wealthiest people in Ukraine – is a burr in the saddle with many of his business opponents, including President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. Apparently, certain pitfalls the public at large has a faint idea of caused the Ukrainian political elite to be plagued about Mr. Novinsky, against whom it uses all gears, up to the Church. .

Of particular attention is the motive itself, around which the criminal case was formed, – that Vadim Novinsky purportedly exercised pressure on Metropolitan Vladimir. It’s interesting to know when the current power began to express so much concern about the fate of the canonical Church, which it has been defaming for the last few years. And why should the UOC, which has been a hate target with almost all Ukrainian politicians, need their protection?

There is one more trivial reason, often referred to in the Ukrainian politics. Novinsky is deemed as “guilty”, and this show with many unknown actors has been hyped around him just because the Ukrainian authorities no longer can cover their political failures both at the foreign and domestic political fronts.

No matter what the future developments might be, truth is gradually coming to the surface. And this is what really matters. Yet such truth is not convenient to those who initiated this long-lasting process. As regards the Church in the game, if Metropolitan Alexander hadn’t intruded, perhaps, neither the name of his spiritual father nor the “UOC” abbreviation would have turned up in the case altogether.