Disturbances in Ukraine are revenge of West - Ukrainian Orthodox Church press office head

Moscow, January 28, Interfax - The "Western element" is clearly observed in the situation in Ukraine, press office head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Vasily Anisimov said.

"I see firstly the 'dire revenge' of the European Union and the United States to the Ukrainian authorities for not signing the association agreement with the EU. The West is carrying out financial, political, organizational and information coverage of the anti-governmental [protests at Kiev's main square] Maidan," Anisimov said in an interview with the Interfax-Religion.

Many political and state figures of the West visited Kiev in the past two months "but none condemned either the seizure of state agencies, or the Molotov cocktails, or the beating of law enforcement officials, or the establishing of parallel authorities in the regions by 'peaceful protestors'," Anisimov said.

Today, thanks to Russia, Ukraine has "huge funds and real prospects of reviving and developing the economy and raising social standards" and namely these successes "are the main reasons for the anti-governmental coup organized by the West," Anisimov said.

Protestors have the following technique - several hundred people come to a regional center where local opposition "gathers them into a crowd of 2,000-3,000 people and buys spade handles and helmets," the press office head said.

"Militants wearing masks storm regional administration, surely dragging women, old women, young women and young men with them. Look at the pictures of seizures - everywhere defenseless people are with bullies wearing camouflage. Some are clashing, others are screaming. It is impossible to use either force or special means in such situations. Rebels disappear following the seizure of a building and the opposition starts 'to rule' the region. This is a very mean technique," Anisimov said.

The Church should address the opposition with an appeal to at least withdraw women and children from areas of conflicts and resistances, Anisimov said. The calm is currently very fragile and "it is necessary to decrease the degree of spite and to remind relentlessly to all conflict parties that political issues are resolved solely with political means," he said.