O. Kodola commented on the appeal of the Solovetsky Orthodox community

On May 13, 2011, Oleg Kodola’s commentary onthe appeal of the Orthodox community, fearing the transformation of the Solovetsky House of Culture into “a springboard for the spread of occultism,” was published.

O. Kodola recalled that before the onset of the tourist season, relations between the monastery and the civilian population of the islands traditionally become strained. Accusations of shamanism and occultism had previously been brought against him by journalist Dmitry Sladkov, for which he was later forced to publicly apologize. “It turns out that a couple of activists with a “spring aggravation” exposed 100 people to the possibility of banal trials, massive loss of the case and an unprecedented payment of compensation in the history of Solovki for insulting honor, dignity and business reputation,” writes O. Kodola.

According to him, the club, which the authors of the appeal fear would be closed, does not work, “that’s why the village administration decided to create a new enterprise and resume the activities of the local center of culture.”

O. Kodola considers the reason for the speech of the Orthodox community to be “the unsatisfied pride of businessmen who were denied the lease of the club; and the grievances of the monopolists - tourist information services are provided by the Solovetsky Museum, which does not pay a penny to the budget of the Solovetsky village; and the disappointment of competitors - it is already clear that The services of the new institution will be used by most of the archipelago’s guests.”

“The balance of power is being restored in Solovki. The services of the cultural institution will be used by young people who now have nowhere to go; children, “spiritually nourished” exclusively by the Solovetsky Monastery due to the absence of a center of secular culture, will be able to attend hobby groups or cartoon sessions; the adult population will receive a platform for self-organization <...> On the one hand, today’s attempt by the Solovetsky religious community, constituting no more than 5% of the population of Solovki, to “ban” the creation of a Municipal Cultural Institution for the remaining 95% of the population is another round of attacks on secular rights and freedoms on the territory of the Solovetsky Islands. on the other hand, it is an admission of one’s own powerlessness and denial of the positive changes taking place on Solovki,” says O. Kodola. Sources

• Oleg Kodola. SPRING FEVER. Behind the Orthodox rhetoric on Solovki are hidden the interests of businessmen and the grievances of the monopolist // Portal-Credo.ru. 2011. May 13.