"Clashes continued throughout our work near the Lavra," journalists file statements of aggression to police • NUJU

A number of cases of obstructing the professional activities of journalists were recorded during the clashes in the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on March 30.

During the attempts of the commission of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine to enter the territory of the National Reserve Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which was supposed to be abandoned yesterday by the tenants – the monastic community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, journalists of several film crews were subjected to aggressive actions by the managers of the monastic community and believers. TV camera operators filming at the scene of the events were the most affected. They are currently giving evidence to the National Police. The National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) is outraged by cases of gross obstruction of journalistic activity in Kyiv and calls on law enforcement officers to protect the right of journalists to perform their professional duties.

In particular, a Suspilne film crew journalist and cameraman were injured in the clash. They informed the police that Metropolitan Pavlo (Lebid), the vicar of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, knocked down the microphone on the operator’s video camera and hit the journalist in hand.

Dariya Nematian Zolbin from Suspilne Movlennia reported the obstruction of professional journalist activities to the police.

Espresso correspondent Valeriya Pashko reported that when she approached Metropolitan Pavlo to get his comment, he said, “Look at her; she doesn’t look like a person!” and pushed the microphone away with his hand. At the same time, other persons present at the scene (perhaps security) began to push the journalist away, using physical force. “I got scared and left because I was perturbed about the property of the newsroom, which the persons mentioned above tried to destroy,” said the journalist.

Channel 5 journalist also reported on obstructing his professional duties to the police.

According to law enforcement officers, criminal proceedings have been initiated. “Representatives of the mass media have appealed to the Pechersk District Police Department of Kyiv with a statement regarding the obstruction of the legitimate professional activity of journalists,” the police said.

According to Priamyi journalist Andrii Solomka, the journalists had to work in conditions of aggressive behavior of the people who had gathered near the Lavra.

“We had a direct involvement; we had to take the comment of a lawyer of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Other people gathered around us. We started a strange dialogue, which is difficult to call a dialogue at all. The parishioners reacted hostilely to any of our arguments. However, there were no clashes then. But they started when we talked with one of the priests, who expressed himself in a pro-Russian spirit, saying that allegedly there was no annexation of Crimea, allegedly Russian troops did not enter Donbas, etc. We, for our part, said that he was wrong. Then one of the believers from the side started pushing us. Pushed several times. I said that they could not do that as it created a direct obstacle to journalistic activity. In general, there were such cases during the entire time we were there,” Andrii Solomka said in a comment to the NUJU.

Andrii says that other film crews, whose cameras were covered up and microphones were tried to be snatched from their hands, suffered even more. He calls on law enforcement officers, especially from the dialogue police, to take a more active part in events, to be present where conflict situations may arise, to warn them, and prevent obstruction of journalistic activities.

“The NUJU, understanding the conflictual nature of the situation around the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, calls for unhindered work for journalists,” says Sergiy Tomilenko, the President of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine. “All parties to the conflict are interested in ensuring the truthful recording of events, and above all, Ukrainian society is interested in receiving unbiased and objective information from journalists.