![\"Sexual](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Sexual-subversion-of-Ukraine.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIn the aftershock of US President Donald Trump\u2019s bombshell decision to pull American troops out of Syria and to draw down US forces in Afghanistan, plus the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis and Brett McGurk, the Special Envoy to the anti-ISIS Coalition [sic:\u00a0never mind who created ISIS in the first place<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0\u2026 ], we are already seeing progress. The\u00a0Syrian flag has been raised over Manbij as the Kurds<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0scramble for protection from Damascus against threatening Turkish forces.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re not out of the woods yet though. Given the \u201corgy of shrieking and caterwauling,\u201d \u201cthe horrifying collective scream<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u201d emanating from Washington, a pushback from the Deep State and the bipartisan Washington establishment is inevitable and possibly imminent. A false flag chemical attack blamed on the Syrian government but perpetrated by the jihadists (and likely cooked up with assistance from the British MI6) remains a looming danger. Also unpredictable is the next move by Israel, whose jets operating in Lebanese airspace struck targets near Damascus following Trump\u2019s withdrawal order. In turn, Syria and Russia responded by considering extension of air protection to Lebanon and declaring that future Israeli strikes on Syria will prompt\u00a0counterattacks on targets inside Israel<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. The danger of escalation should not be underestimated.<\/span><\/p>\n But the big worry remains Ukraine. Given the more than two-year long Russiagate witch hunt, the most toxic smear against Trump\u2019s Syria withdrawal is that it\u2019s a big \u201cgift\u201d to Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. As shown by the unanimous western response to the November Kerch Strait incident, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko knows he can do pretty much\u00a0anything\u00a0and any Russian response will be blamed on Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n Poroshenko has a menu of options. He can go back the well at the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, a tempting possibility if the British (who are\u00a0at the root of Russiagate<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and are at least as\u00a0desperate to prevent a Washington-Moscow d\u00e9tente<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0than Poroshenko is) are dumb enough, or cynical enough (they don\u2019t call them Perfidious Albion for nothing), to\u00a0risk the lives of sailors of Her Majesty\u2019s Navy on a confrontational stunt<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0where Moscow has an overwhelming preponderance of power. Likewise, Poroshenko could launch an attack on the Donbas. Kiev\u2019s forces recently\u00a0occupied most of the \u201cgray zone<\/a>\u201d<\/strong><\/span> separating forces at the Minsk agreement ceasefire line. There are also concerns over reports of\u00a0chemicals stockpiled at Mariupol<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(hey, if a chemical provocation works in Syria, why not Ukraine?).<\/span><\/p>\n But the most likely proximate avenue for Poroshenko may be\u00a0an attack on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, which is an autonomous (self-governing) part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Following what some are already calling the\u00a0Robber Council<\/a>\u00a0of Kiev on December 15, which purported to create an \u201cautocephalous\u201d (independent) church headed by \u201cMetropolitan\u201d Epiphany (Dumenko) from a merger of schismatic groups, Poroshenko and the Ukrainian parliament are moving with alacrity to\u00a0strip the canonical Church of its legal status<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and turn its property over to Dumenko\u2019s bogus church (which actually isn\u2019t independent at all but is subject to the Patriarchate of Constantinople).\u00a0Lists of monasteries for seizure are being prepared<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. Canonical clergy are investigated and harassed\u00a0by the SBU, Ukraine\u2019s successor to the old Soviet KGB<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. Any resistance or disorders these actions will\u00a0provoke are already being blamed in advance<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>on \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 Putin and the canonical Church.<\/span><\/p>\n Where is the US government, that great proponent of human rights and religious freedom? Cheering it on of course. On the day of the Robber Council, the US Embassy in Kiev tweeted out its congratulations\u00a0in English<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0in Ukrainian<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0(not in Russian of course, the language of\u00a0Untermenschen). \u00a0Secretary of State Mike Pompeo<\/a>\u00a0placed a personal call to Dumenko as the \u201cnewly elected head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Metropolitan Epifaniy.\u201d US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch\u00a0extended her congratulations to Dumenko in person<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. When the trouble starts, there\u2019s no mystery as to on whose side the US government, or at least the State Department, will come down.<\/span><\/p>\n One might well ask\u00a0why<\/em>?\u00a0Aside from the obvious impropriety of the United States\u2019 taking sides in a question of the Orthodox Church\u2019s internal governance,\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0is the State Department so committed to promoting a transparently political power grab by Poroshenko, the schismatics, and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople?<\/span><\/p>\n The short answer is that it is strictly geopolitics. From the point of view of the State Department, the Russian Orthodox Church \u2013 and hence the canonical autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church \u2013 is nothing more than an instrument of the Kremlin\u2019s soft power.\u00a0According to one person rather new to the relevant issues<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0but nonetheless considered authoritative by the State Department:<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018The Church, for its part, acts as the Russian state’s soft power arm, exerting its authority in ways that assist the Kremlin in spreading Russian influence both in Russia’s immediate neighborhood as well as around the globe. The Kremlin assists the Church, as well, working to increase its reach. Vladimir Yakunin, one of Putin’s inner circle and a devout member of the ROC, facilitated in 2007 the reconciliation of the ROC with the Russian Orthodox Church in Exile (which had separated itself from the Moscow Patriarchate early in the Soviet era so as not to be co-opted by the new Bolshevik state), which reconciliation greatly increased [Patriarch of Moscow] Kirill’s influence and authority outside of Russia.\u00a0Putin, praising this event<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, noted the interrelation of the growth of ROC authority abroad with his own international goals: \u201cThe revival of the church unity is a crucial condition for revival of lost unity of the whole ‘Russian world’, which has always had the Orthodox faith as one of its foundations.\u201d\u2019<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Hence, weaken \u201cRussian state’s soft power arm,\u201d weaken the Russian state.<\/span><\/p>\n But unfortunately there is even more to it than that.<\/span><\/p>\n The authors of the current US anti-Russia, anti-Orthodox Church policy know, or at least instinctively sense, that the revival of Russia\u2019s Church-State\u00a0symphonia<\/em>\u00a0after a hiatus of eight decades is not just a political alliance of convenience but is the source of deep spiritual, moral, and social strength. This is reflected, for example, in\u00a0Putin\u2019s warm remarks on the dedication of a Moscow monument to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, the acknowledged godfather of Russia\u2019s restoration as a Christian country, on the centenary of the writer\u2019s birth.<\/span><\/p>\n In Russia\u2019s reborn\u00a0symphonia<\/em>, President and Patriarch speak as one:<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018At the height of the Cold War, it was common for American conservatives to label the officially atheist Soviet Union a \u201cgodless nation.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u2018More than two decades on, history has come full circle, as the Kremlin and its allies in the\u00a0Russian Orthodox<\/strong> Church<\/strong><\/span><\/a>\u00a0hurl the same allegation at the West.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u2018\u201cMany Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots, including Christian values,\u201d Russian President\u00a0Vladimir Putin<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0said in a recent keynote speech. \u201cPolicies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in Satan. This is the path to degradation.\u201d [ . . . ]<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u2018Mr. Putin<\/a>\u2019s<\/strong><\/span> views of the West were echoed this month by Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow, the leader of the\u00a0Orthodox Church<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, who accused Western countries of engaging in the \u201cspiritual disarmament\u201d of their people.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u2018In particular, Patriarch Kirill criticized laws in several European countries that prevent believers from displaying religious symbols, including crosses on necklaces, at work.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u2018\u201cThe general political direction of the [Western political] elite bears, without doubt, an anti-Christian and anti-religious character,\u201d the patriarch said in comments aired on state-controlled television.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u2018\u201cWe have been through an epoch of atheism, and we know what it is to live without God,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Patriarch Kirill said. <\/em>\u201cWe want to shout to the whole world, \u2018Stop!\u2019\u201d\u2019<\/em><\/strong> [\u201cWho’s ‘godless’ now<\/a>?<\/strong><\/span> Russia says it’s U.S.: Putin seizes on issue of traditional values,\u201d by Marc Bennetts, The Washington Times, January 28, 2014]<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Such sentiments can hardly sit well with Western elites for whom the same-sex partnerships decried by Putin (and placed by him on a moral level with belief in Satan) are esteemed as a mark of social enlightenment. That\u2019s why an inseparable part of the\u00a0\u201cEuropean\u00a0choice<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u201d\u00a0the people of Ukraine supposedly made during the 2014 \u201cRevolution of Dignity\u201d is wholesale acceptance of \u201cEuropean\u00a0values<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u201d including the kind of \u201cPride\u201d symbolized by LGBT marches organized over Christian objections in Orthodox cities like\u00a0Athens<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Belgrade<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Bucharest<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Kiev<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Odessa<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Podgorica<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0Sofia<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, and\u00a0Tbilisi<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. (Note that after the march in Odessa in August of this year a priest of the canonical Church targeted by Poroshenko\u00a0cleansed the street with Holy Water<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.)<\/span><\/p>\n It is hard to assess exactly how significant the moral\/sexual component of undermining Orthodoxy in Ukraine is, but there is no denying it is a factor. There is a curious consistency between advocacy for non-traditional, post-Christian sexual morality and support for the schismatic pseudo-Church sponsored by Poroshenko and Patriarch Bartholomew.<\/span><\/p>\n To start with, the relevant US government officials cheering the church schismatics are also up-front and visible in Ukraine in their advocacy of the LGBT agenda. The\u00a0US Embassy Kiev website displays Pompeo\u2019s declaration<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0on behalf of all Americans that \u201cThe United States joins people around the world in celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) Pride Month, and reaffirms its commitment to protecting and defending the human rights of all, including LGBTI persons.\u201d As of this writing, the press release describing the Secretary\u2019s call to \u201cMetropolitan\u201d Dumenko appears just below the \u201cPride Month\u201d message.<\/span><\/p>\n Ambassador Yovanovitch has really gone the extra mile \u2013 literally. Not only did she tweet out her Pride message, she also participated in the parade (and took 60 Embassy personnel and family members with her!) proudly marching behind the American flag. Your tax dollars at work! (Must watch video<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0posted by\u00a0HromadskeUA<\/em>, an \u201cindependent\u201d Ukrainian media outlet\u00a0reportedly funded by, among others, the US Embassy<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, the Canadian Embassy, and George Soros\u2019s International Renaissance Foundation, though the cited\u00a0HromadskeUA<\/em>\u00a0financial reports no longer seem to be available.) Both Yovanovitch\u2019s remarks in the video and the posted text draw an explicit connection between the \u201cfreedom\u201d of the 2014 regime change and the new sexual morality (Google autotranslation from Ukrainian):<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018The atmosphere is wonderful. It is important for us because we maintain equal rights. In 2014, people in Ukraine were in favor of freedom, and this is an organic continuation – US Ambassador Marie Yovanovich goes to the March of Equality Column. With her together with about 60 representatives of the American embassy.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n The locals were quick to make the same connection. \u201cKyivPride<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u201d a local LGBT advocacy group\u00a0supported by (surprise, surprise) the US Embassy<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, the Canadian government, the German embassy, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and Freedom House were quick to hail creation of the new pseudo-church, no doubt reflecting the deep piety of the group\u2019s members. As\u00a0posted by\u00a0OrthoChristian.com<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/span>, The organization posted a message on several platforms, including Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, reading:<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018KyivPride congratulates all LGBTI Orthodox believers on the formation of a united and independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church and reminds everyone that love does no harm to others! Also remember that article 35 of the constitution of Ukraine states: \u201cEveryone has the right to freedom of personal philosophy and religion. This right includes the freedom to profess or not to profess any religion.\u201d Human rights above all!\u2019<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Last but certainly not least is the involvement of\u00a0certain fringe elements in the Orthodox Church<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0itself, plus at least one not-so-fringe element. As\u00a0this analyst warned months ago<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>the Ukrainian church crisis seemingly facilitates the\u00a0anti-Christian moral agenda<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0of certain marginal \u201cOrthodox\u201d voices like \u201cOrthodoxy in Dialogue<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u201d Fordham University\u2019s \u201cOrthodox Christian Studies Center<\/a><\/strong><\/span>,\u201d and\u00a0<\/strong>The Wheel<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0As Anatoly Karlin points out<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, \u201cmany of the biggest supporters of\u00a0Ukrainian autocephaly<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0in the West are for all intents and purposes SJWs. The website Orthodoxy in Dialogue, for instance, wants Orthodoxy to get with the times and\u00a0start sanctifying gay marriage<\/a><\/strong><\/span>:\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018We pray for the day when we can meet our future partner in church, or bring our partner to church.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u2018We pray for the day when our lifelong, monogamous commitment to our partner can be blessed and sanctified in and by the Church.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n