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Orthodox split and a fatal crash in Vinnytsia
Summary
A look back at two developments reported around 15 October 2018, one ecclesiastical and one military.
What did the news look like on 16 October 2018, the day after Moscow moved to break with Constantinople? As reported at the time, on 15 October 2018 the Russian Orthodox Church announced it would break communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The decision followed plans by Eastern Orthodox Church officials to recognise the autocephaly of two Ukrainian Orthodox Churches. Moscow said it hoped Constantinople would change its mind and so avoid a schism. The announcement added a new aspect to the rift between Russia and Ukraine.
A fatal accident during exercises
On the same day, 15 October 2018, a Su-27UB aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force crashed in the Vinnytsia region during the international exercise Clear Sky 2018. Two pilots were killed. One was a serviceman of the Ukrainian armed forces, the other a member of the US Air National Guard.
The two reports were unrelated, but both marked the days around 16 October 2018: one in the dispute over church authority, the other in the setting of multinational military training.
