Kharkiv Committee Of Chornobyl Cleanup Veterans Asking Patriarch Kirill To Pray For Making Yanukovych Listen To Reason

23/11/2011

The public organization Kharkiv City Committee of Chornobyl Cleanup Veterans is asking Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus Kirill to pray for making President Viktor Yanukovych listen to reason, the letter to the Patriarch reads.

In the petition signed by the organization leader, Volodymyr Proskurin, Chornobyl cleanup workers reminded the Patriarch that Yanukovych had won the presidential elections due to his blessing and support of most members of their organization.

According to the Chornobyl veterans, they do not receive pensions the government is obliged to pay in accordance with the court decisions.

“If the President of Ukraine does not know where to get money to pay pensions to preferential categories of citizens, we can advise to impose a tax on luxury, but not to take the last away from people,” the letter said. The Chornobyl cleanup veterans claim being Orthodox Christians they believe Yanukovych is committing sin when violating his pre-election promise “to hear everyone.”
“We are relying on your archipastoral prayers, including for brining our President to his sense as he came to Power due to your prayers,” the letter says. The petitioners believe Kirill as the Patriarch of All Rus can influence the Ukrainian President and reconcile the government and people on the basis of Christian ethics. As Ukrainian News reported, Serhii Tihipko, vice prime minister, minister of social policy said the Cabinet of Ministers intended to raise average pensions to disabled Chernobyl cleanup veterans by 2.3 times, from UAH 1,815 to UAH 4,129 in 2012.

On November 23, three hundred Chornobyl cleanup workers picketed the Pensions Fund’s Main Department in Donetsk region demanding the government to fulfill their social guarantees.
About 500 victims of the Chornobyl nuclear accident on November 15 picketed the Pension Fund’s Main Department in Donetsk region demanding the government to pay social benefits.

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