The SBU has charged Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of the Russian Orthodox Church

The Security Service of Ukraine, in conjunction with the Office of the Prosecutor General, has officially filed charges against Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov), the head of the Crimean Metropolis of the Russian Orthodox Church. The hierarch is accused of supporting Russian aggression and spreading Kremlin propaganda.

According to and the investigation’s findings, Metropolitan Tikhon used his ecclesiastical status to justify the military invasion, calling it a “necessary measure” to defend Russia. In his public statements, he characterized Ukraine as a “projectile against the Russian Federation” and promoted the idea of the need to fight “Nazism,” which, according to Ukrainian law enforcement officials, constitutes incitement of ethnic and religious hatred.

An official statement from the agency notes that the hierarch’s actions have been classified under articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine concerning encroachment on territorial integrity and the justification of armed aggression.

As a reminder, we previously reported that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was not included in the European Union’s 21st sanctions package, despite earlier threats from EU officials. Nevertheless, in the updated list published on June 15, among the church representatives is Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Simferopol and Crimea, a hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.