The First Hierarch of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (BAOC), Archbishop of Novogrudok and North America Sviatoslav (Login), in Chernihiv, as part of his visit to the Belarusian diaspora in Ukraine, took part in the opening and consecration of an information board in honour of the Belarusian national hero and one of the leaders of the anti-Russian January Uprising of 1863, Kastus Kalinovsky.
The memorial plaque was installed on a street that was recently renamed in honour of this leader of the uprising against the Russian Empire.
Together with the Archbishop of the BAOC, the chaplain of the OCU, and the spiritual leader of the Belarusian diaspora in Chernihiv, Archpriest Yevhen Orda, participated in the prayer service and the consecration of the information board in honour of Kastus Kalynovsky. The ceremony was also attended by the head of the Belarusian diaspora in Ukraine and the director of the “Free Belarus” charitable foundation, Oleksiy Franskevich, the head of the culture department of the Chernihiv City Council, Oleksandr Shevchuk, the deputy of the Chernihiv Regional Council, Oleksandr Shpak, a local historian, volunteer and public figure, Oleksandr Yasenchuk, and others.
As the first hierarch of the BAOC, Sviatoslav (Login), noted during the ceremony, “Kastus Kalinovsky led the united uprising of Belarusians, Poles, Lithuanians and Ukrainians against the oppression of the Russian Empire. He sacrificially gave his life for the freedom of our people and was tortured by Russian executioners in 1864. And today, in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians, thousands of Belarusian volunteers, continuing the work of Kastus Kalinovsky, are again fighting for the freedom of Ukraine and Belarus. In particular, the Belarusian volunteer regiment named after Kastus Kalinovsky is fighting against the Russian invaders in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In general, more than 5,000 Belarusians are fighting in various units of the Ukrainian defence forces. Because we understand that without a free Ukraine, there will be no free Belarus, and that the liberation of our state from tyranny is possible only together with Ukraine’s victory over Putin’s Russia.”
As the participants of the action reported, last week, with the assistance of the first hierarch of the BAOC, they transferred assistance to the Belarusian unit fighting as part of the UAV Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: a Mavic 3 Pro copter, medicines, monitors, and other necessary equipment, including humanitarian and other assistance collected for them by the believers of the BAOC in the diaspora.
We would like to remind you that this is not the first time that the First Hierarch of the BAOC, Archbishop Sviatoslav (Login), has provided both spiritual, humanitarian and other support to the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Belarusian volunteers from the K. Kalinovsky Regiment. In particular, earlier, with his assistance, the BAOC and the Belarusian diaspora in Canada donated four pickup trucks and one medical vehicle to the Kalinovsky Regiment and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also, last year, with the blessing of Archbishop Sviatoslav, a priest of the BAOC came to the front for several months, and this year, the First Hierarch of the BAOC personally came to provide spiritual care for the Belarusian volunteers.
