Russia prepares the Victory parades; the anti-Covid starets suspended

The 75 years since the Great Patriotic War will be celebrated on June 24 and July 26. Preparations for vote on changes to the constitution that will give power to Putin's regime for life. Sergij, a rebel igumen, who refused the safety instructions on the coronavirus, has been suspended. He often urged the faithful to "ignore the self-isolation imposed by satanic authorities".

Moscow (AsiaNews) - As soon as the strength of the pandemic weakened, Russia began preparations for big celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War. Defense Minister Sergei Shojgu has scheduled the great Victory Parade on June 24, confirmed by President Vladimir Putin, who also extended the "Procession of Immortals", demonstrations with photos of war veterans. The final celebration of the procession will be July 26, the day dedicated to the Navy fleet. Between the two solemn dates, virus permitting, a referendum will be held on the changes to the Constitution, prepared before the quarantine, which should ensure a long life for the Putinian regime.

In reality, despite optimistic statements, the epidemic in Russia does not seem to have been eradicated. In the last 24 hours, another 8371 new cases have occurred in 85 regions out of 89, with 174 deaths - the highest figure in the period - exceeding 4 thousand total victims. Furthermore, several surveys have appeared in the press among medical personnel, according to which 80% of Russian doctors are not convinced of official statistics, especially of relatively low mortality compared to other countries. Many doctors revealed that they had been instructed not to announce coronavirus deaths, downgrading them to "atypical pneumonia", on pain of losing their job.

Sergij, rebellious igumen

The Orthodox Church, very affected by the pandemic, mourns another member of the great Lavra of the Trinity of St. Sergius, the hierarchon Polikarp (Sidorov) who passed away on May 27th. Churches are slowly reopening, but another news has shaken the Russian faithful: the metropolitan of Ekaterinburg and Verkhoturja, Kirill (Nakonechnyj), suspended the famous igumen with the skhima Sergij (Romanov, photo 1) from the priesthood. He had already been prevented from preaching, because of his radical stances against indications of protection from coronavirus.

In the metropolitan's decree, addressed to "every soul of the faithful of the Church of Christ in Ekaterinburg", it is stated that "after long reflections and prayers" this extraordinary measure was reached due to the violation of the oath of obedience of the Igumen, particularly challenging just after the imposition of the great skhima, the solemn vow represented by a special design on the monastic garment. Kirill therefore decided to "alleviate the fulfillment of the promises of the great skhima, of the vow to renounce one's will and silence", forbidding Sergij to preside over or participate in any celebration and especially in the exorcisms, for which the skhi-igumeno it is particularly renowned.

Sergij, spiritual father of the Crimean deputy Natalja Poklonskaja (photo 2) and other exponents of the most extreme Orthodox sovereignty, is a symbol of the most intransigent monasticism, which considers the startsy of the authorities’ superior also to that of the bishops and patriarchs. For this reason, the metropolitan's decision, clearly inspired by Patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev), marks a "point of no return" in the stand off between the institutional and the charismatic soul within the Russian Church. The Igumen had invited the faithful to go to church without fear of the police and "ignore the self-isolation imposed by the satanic authorities". The days of the patriotic anniversaries of May, suspended for the virus, he led a group of nuns devoted to him to the woods for a wild performance of songs and dances (click here), to demonstrate "firmness in the face of enemies of faith" (photo 3).

Despite the ban on preaching, on May 26 Sergij broadcast a 22-minute speech on the YouTube channel, "not a sermon, but a conversation with the soul of the Russian people", in which he continues to exhort the faithful not to listen to authority, which he also accuses of "spreading the Kabala, magical doctrines, spells and communication with demons". By cursing the "sacrilegious" leaders, the Igumen threatens them with death "from the unfortunate infection, thanks to which everyone has been put under house arrest and subjected to vaccines, which will actually be control chips, and will be lethal for people". The suspension of the metropolitan was inevitable, putting an end to what the press called "the autonomous reign of Romanov ”, playing on the monk's surname, equal to that of the tsars, and his spiritual authority over the region where Nicholas II was assassinated with his family.