Official who banned media criticism of pro-Russian church fired

Oleksandr Dubovoi, the deputy chief of the Zvenyhorodska District State Administration in Cherkasy region, who introduced censorship in the local media over his sympathies toward the Russian-controlled Ukrainian Orthodox Church, was dismissed from his post.

This was reported to an Ukrinform correspondent by the administration head, Yuriy Pikovskyi.

"I fired Oleksandr Dubovoyi. It was no longer in my power to tolerate his actions," said the official.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the deputy head of the Zvenyhorodska district state administration in Cherkasy region, Oleksandr Dubovyi, forbade local newspapers to publish any articles critical of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). In particular, several times he removed from print certain articles drafted by the Talne newspaper Kolos covering the transition of religious communities from the Moscow Patriarchate to the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

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Later, local journalists found out that Dubobyi attends services in the St. Michael's Church run by the UOC MP. A few weeks ago, journalists filmed Dubovyi sporting deacon clothes. The official read a prayer in Russian, addressing a wide audience.

Photo: Zvenyhorodska RSA