Moment Russian priest hits Ukrainian clergyman with CROSS at troop's funeral | The Sun
FOOTAGE shows the bizarre moment a Russian priest beat a Ukrainian clergyman with a holy cross.
Mykhailo Vasylyuk of the Moscow Patriarchate disrupted the funeral of fallen solder Oleksandr Zinivy when he took aim at his counterpart.
In the clip, the reverend attempted to rip the cross from the neck of priest, Anatoliy Dudko, before striking him with the religious object.
Military personnel were reportedly forced to intervene in the altercation as Vasylyuk was eventually dragged away.
Local activist, Serhiy Timkov, shared the footage on Facebook as he revealed that Dudko had suffered minor injuries.
He wrote: "In my opinion, [the incident] crosses all possible and impossible limits of arrogance.
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"Based on the above, I further ask law enforcement authorities to ensure order at any gatherings where there is a conflict."
According to reports, Dudko had upset his Russian counterparts after he publicly blamed Vladimir Putin for the ongoing invasion.
Ukrainian followers of the Russian orthodox Church – a branch of Christianity -broke with its Moscow leadership earlier this year.
The incident comes after it was revealed that at least 75,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured in the Ukraine war disaster in the latest blow to the president.
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The latest figure appears in line with a Russian estimate that more than 56,500 soldiers, national guards and private military company fighters have been killed.
A head count of colonels and lieutenant-colonels revealed almost a dozen new names, highlighting the chronic losses among the higher ranks.
A dozen generals have also been killed in the five-month-long war started by the Russian tyrant as troop numbers continue to dwindle.
Just days ago, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said detailed assessments show President Vladimir Putin’s plan has spectacularly failed.
His military is now so weakened, Ukrainians are increasingly confident they will soon reclaim all their old borderss.
Sir Tony said: “They are absolutely clear they plan to restore the whole of their territory in terms of Ukraine.
“They see a Russia that is struggling, a Russia we assess has lost over 30 per cent of its land combat effectiveness."
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He continued: “Russia had the ambition to create fractures as a challenge to the world order.
"Russia is failing in all of those ambitions.”
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