This message is spread by pro-Russian users of social networks, including the Georgian segment of Facebook. The publications say that after the sanctioning of the churches of the Moscow patriarchate in Ukraine, Ukrainians began to behave not like real Christians, and their level of spirituality, according to the authors of the message, is low. Like, Ukrainians denigrate canonical Orthodoxy. As proof, Facebook users attach a series of video clips to the message, in which, allegedly, “goodness knows” happens in Ukrainian churches, and this contradicts all Christian canons.

Fact-checkers of the MythDetector project explained that people began to massively distribute video clips from the Russian-language segment of TikTok on Facebook. In fact, the video shows a regular Vertep (Nativity scene) performing one of the scenes adapted to real life. In the video, one can see the likeness of Putin, devils and death. From the dialogue of the parties it is clear that Putin is equated with Herod - a very cruel, ferocious person. Actually, Herod is the main antagonist of the Nativity scene, because he dreams of killing the newborn Jesus. In a new interpretation, he wants to create a “Russian world” and defeat Ukraine, but death kills Putin. Death in the classical Nativity scene appears as the protagonist of Herod. The rest of the performance is not visible in the circulated video.

Fact-checkers add that the theatrical scene took place in Greek Catholic churches, and not in the churches of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. One of the videos was filmed in Zarvanytsia, Ternopil region, in the Cathedral of the Mother of God of Zarvanytsia, and the other was made in Truskavets, in the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Theotokos. However, this does not change the essence of the fact that the Nativity scene is a tradition of the Ukrainian church and, despite the denomination, we celebrate the only Christmas.

This message is beneficial to Russian propaganda in order to discredit Ukrainians, to show that their values are unworthy. Earlier, Detector Media debunked a number of fakes about allegedly incorrect Orthodoxy in Ukraine, including that paganism is being spread in Ukraine.