Transcription
Thank you for joining us. I think few Americans understand how intensely the Ukrainian government, led by Zelensky, has persecuted the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Can you give us a more detailed overview of what your government... has concretely subjected your Church to? Unfortunately, our government, led by Zelensky, has launched a campaign of persecution and repression against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The largest church in Ukraine, the largest Christian denomination in Ukraine. Before the war, there were twelve thousand parishes and seven million faithful within the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. And despite the fact that it is the largest denomination and that ninety-five to ninety-seven percent voted for Zelensky as president of peace, he is doing this to our Church. He persecutes and oppresses our Church. Over the past ten years, the persecution has intensified, and now it is leading to terrible consequences. As you know, recently, a law was passed in parliament which, in effect, aims to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. So our archbishops are subjected to persecution. Completely false criminal cases are opened against them, our parishioners are beaten, our churches are taken from us. Thus, Satanism thrives in Ukraine. Thus, some metropolitans are in prison, others are under house arrest. For example, Metropolitan Arseny, who is currently in prison, who is the head of the Sviatohirsk Monastery. He is in prison on completely false charges. Metropolitan Theodosius, Metropolitan Luke, Metropolitan Anthony. They are all under house arrest... Another striking example is Metropolitan Longin, who has an orphanage in his monastery housing over six hundred disabled children. He is a man of peace and love, and yet he is still persecuted for his unwavering loyalty to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Every day, churches and temples are seized by soldiers armed with machine guns who enter, expel priests, beat the faithful, children, the elderly, women, countless priests, countless attempts in Chernivtsi, where they tried to seize a temple. So this happens every day, everywhere in Ukraine. One can only be deeply saddened and displeased by these events. And one cannot help but seriously fear... that our churches will continue to suffer this harsh persecution from the current government. In your opinion, why is Zelensky acting this way?... What is his true motive? One must understand the current atmosphere in the country. It is incitement. Hatred is the basis of politics, a hatred based on lies and deception. Our Church speaks the truth, denounces sin... And our Church, fundamentally... yes. This is a favorable moment for her. Everyone can show their loyalty and faith despite all the persecutions, despite all the oppression. We pray for the authorities, we pray for Zelensky. That at some point, they will come to their senses and stop. We truly hope that Zelensky will keep his promise and restore religious peace. Because ninety-five to ninety-seven percent voted for Zelensky, voted for him as president of peace and for him to end the religious hatred that prevails in our country. Why do you think the world has ignored this... attack on Christianity in Ukraine? I can tell you that a year ago, it was impossible to say a word of truth in the Western press, even in the American press, about what is happening to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine... There was a total blockage of the truth about what is happening in religious life in Ukraine. And the first person to break this wall of silence was you. who invited Robert Amsterdam, the official representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who had the courage to tell the truth. And you bravely disseminated this truth. And for that, thank you very much. And a big thank you to J.D. Vance, who, when he was still a member of Congress, raised his voice in support of our Church. He was the only Western politician to defend our Church at that time. It was extremely important for us. But apart from you, no other serious publication published and showed the type of attacks that are taking place against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. Zelensky received a broad vote of confidence. In the eyes of the Western public, he quickly became an undisputed national leader... Everything he did was accepted without discussion or questioning. But Zelensky is not an elected president at this stage. He has... exceeded his mandate... and there have been no elections... So he has. from what I can tell, no authority to do this. Under what authority is he doing this? Well, it is the authority he has assumed, without a clear mandate. Fundamentally, according to the Constitution, there is a five-year electoral mandate, and the President cannot be elected for longer. This decision was made in May two thousand fourteen, but unfortunately, many have forgotten it. Now, the Constitutional Court is not functioning... It has been destroyed by Zelensky... So there is no way to confirm or affirm. There is no way to fundamentally legitimize his role. Imagine your dream home. With an outdoor pool, a... huge entrance porch, a cozy fireplace for a cold winter night. Whatever you prefer, there is little doubt... that an American flag flying at the entrance would enhance it all. What better way to welcome your guests than with a flag in front of your home? But wait, there's a catch. American flags you buy in stores are often made in China. An American flag made in China. Come on. PureTalk. The American mobile operator believes that every American... deserves an American flag made in America. And that is why they are determined to offer an Allegiance flag, the highest quality American flag, to a thousand veterans in time for summer... PureTalk is using a portion of this month's sales to honor Flag Day and provide these American flags to American veterans... With plans starting at just twenty-five dollars a month for unlimited calls, texts, lots of data, you could enjoy America's most reliable 5G network while cutting your cell phone bill in half. For real, go to PureTalk.com Tucker to support veterans and switch to PureTalk's American mobile operator. So you are describing a dictatorship. Are you worried about your safety... after saying something like that. Just by appearing on your show? I already fully understand that I will be even more persecuted by the authorities of the Zelensky government. As you know, I am under sanctions. I have been personally sanctioned by Zelensky... He has signed three decrees imposing sanctions on me under various pretexts. Various criminal investigations are underway against me on false and baseless charges. And after this interview, after exposing what I believe is really happening in our country, I am absolutely certain... that there will be even more persecution directed against me. But I have no fear. It is actually completely illegal to impose sanctions on a Ukrainian citizen... There is only one very specific case where this is possible, and that is when it has been formally proven that he is financing terrorist activities. So, at the moment, sanctions are our president's favorite weapon... He likes to hit who he can with them. All opponents, critics, businessmen, religious leaders. So, on religious grounds, I have been sanctioned on religious grounds for my support of the Church. For twenty years. I have been placed on a list with other religious figures. As the senior deacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, I am number one on this list. The judiciary is not functioning and is currently paralyzed. There are no laws at the moment. As the President said, the Constitution has been put on pause. So these are... indicators... that there is currently a dictatorship. The rights and freedoms of citizens are restricted... There is no freedom of speech... It is understandable that in wartime a person cannot fully enjoy freedom of speech. But the President and his administration have monopolized freedom of speech. Rights are restricted... Courts no longer function. All of these are worrying signs of dictatorship. People are subjected to forced mobilization where men are rounded up in the streets, put on buses, and then sent to the front lines. In Ukrainian society, the Ukrainian people... live in an atmosphere of fear. So, if you dare to criticize Zelensky, then the secret police will come to your house the next day... And you will immediately be subjected to severe persecution. Of course, in wartime, it is essential for society to be united. Instead, he divides them according to various criteria. So religion, history, culture, heroes, language, society is divided. This is a very unjust policy of division when it should be one of unification. The United States is directly paying for all of this to happen. The Speaker of the U.S. Congress is a man who describes himself as a Christian, and he has largely paid for... this to happen. His name is Speaker Johnson. I... wonder if there is anything you would like to say to him, as well as to other Christians in the American Congress, about the fact that the money they send is actively being used to try to extinguish the largest Christian denomination in the country. What specifically would you say to them? I would wish that the aid and funds that are provided... continue to be provided to the Ukrainian people. Because at the moment, Ukrainians are fighting for their survival. They are fighting for the survival of their families. You must understand that the Ukrainian authorities, they live in parallel realities. The Ukrainian people are thinking about how to survive, how to feed their families, how to be happy. And this is a completely different reality from that of the Ukrainian authorities. The authorities live a different life, so they profit from the war. And the national idea of the Ukrainian elite is to steal money and spend it abroad. It would be great if the money sent was spent optimally and to help the people. And for that, we must finally monitor how the money is spent and how it is used so that it truly benefits the people rather than the Ukrainian elite. Also, it would be good if the money that arrives, that we do not spend it to support those who are seizing our churches. The only canonical church in Ukraine, the largest denomination, the millennial church, that is, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Reports suggest that Zelensky and his family have become rich during wartime. Are these reports true? Well, we have a saying, there is no smoke without fire... And if information comes out, it means there is a possibility that it happened. However, I cannot say yes... nor no. I can neither confirm nor deny. Irrefutable evidence is needed for us to confirm it. If there is one thing we have learned in recent years, it is that when things go wrong unexpectedly, and they have, it is you who are responsible for the health and safety of your family, not the authorities. You... so prepare yourself, think about it in advance. You remember that during the dark days of COVID, for example, you constantly heard about a medicine, a remedy called Ivermectin. Doctors have been using Ivermectin for decades to treat parasites, viruses, and are even studying it as a potential treatment for cancer. But you are not allowed to use it. You are bad if you even use the word. But at Jace, they thought about it. And they examined the evidence that Jace doctors created a powerful antiparasitic formula... made with a mixture that includes Ivermectin. 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How long have you known Zelensky? Well, I think many people knew Zelensky long before he became president, when he was one of the top... or one of the most important figures in show business. He played serious roles in television series and was a very important artist in Ukraine. I have never met him, but we knew each other after he became president. He presented himself as the candidate of peace. You said, what happened? How did it change? So, in the elections, he received seventy-three percent of the votes... seventy-three percent of the people who voted for him wanted peace... He even said in his inauguration speech, for peace, I am ready to sacrifice my fame, my popularity, my rating, and my position if I have to, if it can help bring peace. He also said this: I made Ukrainians smile, and for the next five years, I want to make sure they don't cry. So, instead, now, what do you see? Instead of smiles on their faces, there are tears on their faces. And instead of giving up his position, he is turning into a dictator, and there is no peace in the country, it is war under his presidency. The war came to Ukraine during his presidency... and did he do everything to avoid it?... This is a question many people have started to ask. Obviously without saying it openly, but in secret... because they could be persecuted. Many ask it publicly. Unfortunately, that is the case. When Zelensky said in the winter of two thousand twenty-two that he wanted... Ukraine to join NATO. He knew very well. that Russia... would cross the border if Ukraine joined NATO, but. He said it anyway. In your opinion, why did he do that? So, what is the basis of Ukrainian sovereignty? It is actually the declaration of sovereignty which states that Ukraine will have a non-aligned status, so it will not be part of any bloc. But in two thousand eighteen, during the election campaign, Poroshenko, the former president, he made changes to the constitution regarding Ukraine's desire to join NATO... This contradicted the fundamental declaration... When Ukraine initially made the declaration to be sovereign and independent. Zelensky knew perfectly well that constantly mentioning that we wanted to be members of NATO would annoy our northern neighbor. And he knew that there could be an invasion and a war. When I was a deputy in parliament, I said... if something like that were to happen, then Russia would go all the way. But nevertheless, he continued to mention it and made it an option. And it would have been possible to avoid the war if Ukraine had implemented the obligations it had undertaken under the Minsk agreements. according to which Donetsk and Luhansk received a certain degree of autonomy within Ukraine. But despite the adoption of the Minsk agreement in two thousand fifteen, we continued to delay its effective implementation for seven years and actively build an anti-Russia in Ukraine. I am in no way justifying Russia and the Russian authorities for committing this act of aggression against Ukraine. The real problem is something else. The Ukrainian people entrusted their power to Zelensky in the hope that he would not allow war in the country and that he would ensure lasting peace. The task of the authorities is to ensure security conditions in the country and good conditions for development and growth, and to ensure the security of its borders and to try to live in peace with everyone, or at least maintain a neutral position with all its neighbors. Unfortunately, it was Poroshenko who started this, and then Zelensky continued, as he is his worst copy. But they have quarreled with all their neighbors. So Russia, Belarus, Hungary, Slovenia have had enormous disputes with Poland. Was... Zelensky prepared for the Russian invasion? Did he know it was coming? So, as you know, I am here for the following reason: a week ago, Zelensky accused me of serious charges... that at the beginning of the invasion, by phone, I would have tried to force him to surrender, to cede territories, basically to betray his homeland in accordance with Ukrainian law. And I can say that until the end, Zelensky denied that an aggression from Russia was possible, despite the fact that he had irrefutable evidence from his Western counterparts, from intelligence services in Ukraine. However, he did nothing to prevent it, because obviously, it is impossible to prepare for a war in such a short time, but it is also difficult to fight such a powerful enemy. So, preventive measures should have been taken. On February twenty-third, just the day before the full-scale invasion, Zelensky gathered at his oval table, in the president's office, all the main representatives of the Ukrainian business world. And there, he tried to persuade everyone that there would be no invasion, no war, and that they, as government authorities, would do everything possible to ensure that this war did not happen. And when I was given the floor, I said that we had listened to the reports from the security bloc, from the security forces, and that if there was even a one in a thousand chance for us to do something to prevent this war, then we should absolutely do it, because the information we had heard was alarming. And we must do everything possible to prevent this from happening, because Ukraine needs peace... People need peace. And the next day, at five o'clock, the invasion began. The war broke out. I was in Kyiv. My whole family was in Kyiv... At that moment. It all started. In your opinion, how many Ukrainians have been killed in this terrible war? No one knows the exact figure. The only one who knows the exact figure is God... He knows exactly how many. Unfortunately, no one knows the exact figure. There are official figures that have been communicated personally by Zelensky. There are figures that have been calculated in the Western press by Western... war analysts. Figures circulate among Ukrainians, but no one knows the exactness... I have heard of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, but no one knows the exact figure. But the figure, whatever it is, is far too high. Are you concerned... that given the number of Ukrainians who have died and who have left. that... foreigners will settle in your country, that you will experience mass migration... to Ukraine? To be honest, at the moment, I am more concerned about peace in Ukraine and the end of this horrible war and the end of the loss of human lives. We sincerely pray for this, for peace to reach our country. And I would just like to thank President Trump for having the political will and the strong desire to end this war. Because five months ago, it was impossible to say that there would be negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. And at the moment, they are taking place, and new negotiation plans are emerging. And all this is thanks to Trump's strong will. Fundamentally, with Trump, the United States began to export peace to Ukraine. And as for migrants, I would just like all Ukrainians to return home. And after we achieve peace, through joint efforts to rebuild Ukraine together... and make it again the peaceful, hardworking, and prosperous country it was ten years ago. Can you reach a peace agreement... with Zelensky at the head of your government? Is that possible? It will be very difficult to achieve, even with President Trump's strong will and influence. Because on the path to peace, unfortunately, the biggest obstacle currently is Zelensky himself, as well as his close entourage. Well, because when peace comes, there is a strong probability that Zelensky will lose his power. Many will start asking questions when peace comes, such as: why was the war allowed to break out? Why was the Istanbul agreement not signed? Because we all know the essence of what was agreed in Istanbul. And if it had been accepted, and if it had been signed, there would not have been hundreds of thousands of lives lost. There would not have been a threat to Ukraine's sovereignty. There would not have been such destruction, and there would not have been a loss of territory, which could happen. Now. if we trace the history of the signing of various agreements, starting with the Minsk agreement and then the Istanbul agreement, unfortunately, with each agreement, the terms and conditions of the agreements deteriorated for Ukraine, they became worse and worse... They became more unfavorable. And unfortunately, if there is another agreement, which I hope for, but unfortunately, the conditions will be even more unfavorable. But many lives have been lost in this process, and much blood has been shed. My last question, thank you for taking the time to do this interview, is: what can Christians around the world do to help you, churches around the world, believers around the world to help you as you try to prevent Zelensky from extinguishing Christianity in Ukraine? In this process of persecution against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church?... Unfortunately, a large part of it falls to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. Unfortunately, they are doing this together. And the fact that he has not once raised his voice to support the Ukrainian Orthodox Church despite all its persecutions, proves that he is actually involved in all of this. But we are receiving a lot of support... We are receiving a lot of support from the Church of Jerusalem, from the Church of Georgia, from the Serbian Church and their patriarchs. And we are receiving a lot of brotherly love, support, and many prayers, because that is our main strength. Prayer. And the Church will not be defeated. A true canonical Church will not be defeated. The communists could not defeat us in the twentieth century because Christ is the Church, the head of the Church is Christ, and the consequences will be bad for those who oppose him... And we will go through these trials and be purified. And we are very grateful to you and to all those who act for our Church. Amen. Very well said... And know that many are praying for you. Thank you for talking about the darkness in Ukraine. I appreciate it very much. Thank you... Thank you. So it turns out that YouTube is censoring this show. In a way, it's not surprising. That's what they do. But on the other hand, it's shocking. With everything that's happening in the world right now, at this very moment, all the changes that are taking place in our economy and politics, with the wars we are about to wage. Google has decided that you should have less information rather than more. And that is absolutely unacceptable. It is immoral. What can you do about it? Well, one could complain. It's a waste of time. We don't run Google. Or we could find a way around it, a way for you to actually get information that is true, not intentionally misleading... The way to do that on YouTube, we think, is to subscribe to our channel. Subscribe. Click on the little bell to be notified when we post and share this video. That way, you will have a much better chance of hearing... real news and information. So we hope you will do that.