Death and funeral of Patriarch Volodymyr of Kyiv

Volodymyr Romaniuk was patriarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate from its founding until his death on 14 July 1995. Prior to that, he had been a bishop of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and before that a political prisoner associated with the Ukrainian Helsinki Group. The establishment of the UOC–KP, an autocephalous (albeit unrecognised) Eastern Orthodox church in Ukraine, was a significant source of national pride for Ukrainians following independence, though it was significantly outnumbered by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in terms of believers and parishes. The exact circumstances of Romaniuk's death are unclear and a matter of some dispute; officially ruled as a heart attack, several Ukrainian nationalists, among them politician Roman Zvarych, have claimed that the circumstances of Romaniuk's death were violent, contrary to autopsy reports. == Funeral ==

Funeral procession UOC–KP leadership initially intended for Romaniuk to be buried in Baikove Cemetery. However, they later changed their mind, determining that, as the first Patriarch of an independent Ukrainian Orthodox church, he would be buried at Saint Sophia Cathedral. The government rejected these plans, citing the last-minute nature and the need for technical studies of the cathedral before such an act could be allowed. After four days of negotiations (with which most high-ranking officials were uninvolved), and with summer heat causing the Patriarch's body to decay, the UOC–KP agreed not to bury him at Saint Sophia Cathedral. On 18 July, 1995, the day of the funeral, a morning memorial service for Romaniuk took place in Kyiv's Saint Volodymyr Cathedral, which belonged to UOC-KP. The event was attended by 3,000 people, including 200 members of the Ukrainian People's Self-Defence (UNSO), Riot The approach to St. Sophia Cathedral was guarded by officers of the Berkut special police force, who were ordered to prevent Volodymyr's body from entering the building. After a number of assaults, they could break the police cordon, and at approximately 5 pm the procession entered Sophia Square. Several journalists and 18 bishops were among the wounded in the riot. == Aftermath ==

Pro-democracy leader Viacheslav Chornovil, who together with journalist tried to prevent violence during the burial, who was attending Belarus on a state visit during the incident. Kuchma waited for ten days before ultimately condemning police conduct during the burial in a low-key press conference, which ultimately cost him support. The government also accused the UNSO of being responsible for starting violence. Two criminal proceedings were initiated against the police and against participants of the march respectively, but none of them reached court. Volodymyr Budnikov, the deputy chief of Kyiv Police, was removed from his post in the aftermath of the riot, but eventually got appointed to head the police of Luhansk Oblast. The funeral became a political issue during the 1999 Ukrainian presidential election, with candidate Yevhen Marchuk claiming the government had cooperated with foreign actors to orchestrate the event, thus decreasing support for the UOC–KP. More broadly, the funeral riots demonstrated competing visions of Ukraine's national identity between those who favoured and those who opposed closer ties with Russia. The conflict between the UOC–KP and UOC (MP) was questioned in news media, such as The Washington Post, following the incident. == References ==