The funeral riot of Patriarch Volodymyr Romaniuk marked the first instance of police violence against a peaceful gathering in post-Soviet Ukraine since 1991.
Key Facts
- Date of patriarch's death
- 14 July 1995
- Date of funeral riot
- 18 July 1995
- Popular name of event
- Black Tuesday (chornyi vivtorok)
- Location of confrontation
- St. Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv
- Police unit involved
- Berkut special police force
- First such incident since
- 1991
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Patriarch Volodymyr Romaniuk, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, died on 14 July 1995. His funeral procession drew large crowds of mourners to Kyiv, where members of the Berkut special police force attempted to block access to St. Sophia Cathedral, the intended burial site.
On 18 July 1995, the funeral of Patriarch Romaniuk erupted into violence when Berkut officers physically prevented mourners from entering St. Sophia Cathedral. Members of the far-right Ukrainian People's Self-Defence responded by attacking security forces, turning the solemn occasion into a full-scale riot known as Black Tuesday.
The riot was condemned as the first incident of police attacking a peaceful gathering in Ukraine since independence in 1991, drawing national and international attention to tensions between the Ukrainian state and religious and nationalist groups, and raising concerns about civil liberties in the young democracy.
Political Outcome
Funeral riot erupted; Berkut police clashed with mourners and far-right members at St. Sophia Cathedral; event condemned as first post-1991 police attack on a peaceful gathering in Ukraine.