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Moscow's church break and a fatal air crash
Summary
A retrospective on 16 October 2018 and the reports from the preceding day that shaped it: a religious rift and a fatal exercise accident.
What did the news of 15 October 2018 mean for Ukraine as it was reported on 16 October 2018? Two separate reports stood out: a break between churches and a deadly accident during international military exercises.
The Russian Orthodox Church announced on 15 October that it would break communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The step 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 the schism. The episode was described as an important new aspect in the rift between Russia and Ukraine.
A loss during Clear Sky 2018
The same day brought grim news from the Vinnytsia region. During the international exercises Clear Sky 2018, a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27UB crashed. Two pilots were killed: one a serviceman of the Ukrainian armed forces, the other from the US National Guard's Air Force component.
The two reports were unrelated in subject. Together they showed how, in mid-October 2018, Ukraine's relations with Russia and its cooperation with Western partners were both in the headlines.
