Rev. Nazari Polataiko at the Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles is still haunted by the sound of sirens, even months after visiting his native Ukraine last summer.
Buildings, homes and museums had been rebuilt and repainted but the signs of the ongoing war with Russia were still everywhere in once-bustling Kyiv, a city dotted with shiny domes of centuries-old cathedrals.
As Rev. Polataiko traveled across Kyiv last summer, his guide kept pointing at historic public monuments and private homes damaged and destroyed in the bombings. He met soldiers with missing arms and legs who recently returned from the front line.
One of his most lasting memories was the sound of the blood-chilling air raid alert every time Russian bomb carriers were approaching the city. Unlike in movies about apocalypses, every time sirens went off, no one was panicking or running away. Instead, people quietly looked for shelter, going into basements and subways.
“That sound was loud and it was everywhere,” he said. “It became a new norm. It’s sad because children are growing up in that environment. They are being bombed every day.”
As the world marked the second anniversary of Kremlin’s destructive and bloody war against Ukraine which began on Feb. 24, 2022, it was time for Rev. Polataiko and his parish to reflect on faith, unity and democratic values.
“On the one hand, I’m happy it’s not over and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin wasn’t able to invade the whole country,” he said. “There are people who are resisting and people who are fighting and people from other countries help fight.”
But he was saddened and frustrated that after two years “some politicians in the U.S. jeopardize the lives of people for their political gain and elections.”
The Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church is tucked in a hilly area between charming residential enclaves in Silver Lake. It was built in the 1920s by Russian immigrants who fled the October Revolution after the Bolshevik Party toppled the 300-year-old Romanov dynasty, killing Czar Nicholas II. Fears of prosecution brought thousands of Russians to the U.S.
Since its foundation more than a century ago on Micheltorena Street, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral has become a center of religious and cultural education for many Russians.
The family of the Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff had his 1943 funeral service at the church, where his piano still anchors one of the church’s auditoriums. The cathedral was built according to the 14th-century Pskov Orthodox architectural tradition which did not include the presence of pews. One Friday in 1969 it was filled with visitors and Hollywood celebrities when its longtime member actor Natalie Wood married producer and screenwriter Richard Gregson.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, its parishioners have had to deal with a new chapter in history: the impact of the terrifying Russian war with Ukraine.
A majority of his Russian parishioners support Ukraine, according to Rev. Polataiko, who was born in Chernivtsi in western Ukraine.
“I don’t know anybody who supports Putin,” he said in a recent interview with this newspaper. “I know one person who comes and openly supports Putin but she never talks to me.”
Since the beginning of the war, the church has been helping and Russia. Recently his parish sponsored the move of a priest from Kyiv to Los Angeles.
Even though it’s called the Russian Orthodox Church, the Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral is not under the authority of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Instead, it’s part of the Diocese of the West, Orthodox Church in America, which combines all Orthodox churches across the U.S.
Recently, Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the Diocese of the West, who was baptized at Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral, criticized Russian Patriarch Kirill, the head of Russia’s influential Orthodox Church, a strong supporter of Putin and the Russian invasion, for saying that all sins of Russian soldiers would be washed away for fighting against Ukraine.
“It would appear Patriarch Kirill is saying that, no matter what crimes a soldier commits while fulfilling his military duty, should he die in the line of duty, he is somehow magically absolved and freed from all accountability before God for his actions,” Archbishop Benjamin wrote in a statement on Diocese’ website.
He continued: “Can it be true that the Patriarch is saying that, for example, a soldier who in this present fratricide rapes a woman or murders a civilian in cold blood, and is later killed in combat and unrepentant, is absolved of those sins and crimes simply because he died in battle? … To my knowledge, this is a novel idea that has no justification in our theology and should be condemned.”
Rev. Polataiko said he avoided discussing politics with his parishioners although it could be challenging at times.
“It’s not my job to speak about politics,” he said. “The gift of democracy is that the church and state are separated.”
Since the start of the war, his parish has focused on helping refugees from both Ukraine and Russia.
“For 100 years, this church and parish have always been home for people who were prosecuted,” he said.
On a recent Sunday morning, Michael Namaev, a native of St. Petersburg, sat on the bench in the church front yard as women — their hair covered with headscarves — played with their young children.
Namaev found it hard to believe the war had gone on for two years.
“I worry about the war, pray for Russians and Ukrainians, and hope Putin will go away soon,” the worshipper said. “I never thought Putin would attack Ukraine in the first place.”
He added: “I’m glad we now have two priests from Ukraine. They are safe here.”
Jared McBride, an assistant professor at UCLA, said that despite , “one wants to hold onto the hope that there are still Russians who are against this war. And even though there are Russians who have problematic feelings about Ukraine, they would not want to see such devastation. The brutal reality in front of us, however, makes this hope difficult.”
The anniversary of the war comes when Alexei Navalny, an outspoke critic of Putin, died in prison earlier this month, another reminder of the heartless crackdown on Putin’s critics.
McBride added that it’s important to remember that Russians don’t want a country where .
Still, Rev. Polataiko said he felt grateful for the help that Ukraine has received so far — while he prays that more assistance will come along.
“I’m proud of my nation, my people and that I was born in the country that is fighting for its independence,” he said. “I’m also proud of my new nation. If it’s not for the help from the U.S., (Vladimir) Putin would already succeed.”
