The SBU detained a clergyman of the OCU for arranging the illegal departure of a draft dodger abroad

In Transcarpathia, law enforcement authorities detained a member of the OCU clergy on suspicion of organizing the illegal smuggling of conscripts across the state border. The suspect demanded substantial sums of money for his services in organizing the escape to Slovakia.

The investigation established that 59-year-old OCU “Archimandrite” Antoniy Khvits used his clerical status to pass through checkpoints without proper inspection. For $15,000, he arranged a route for a Kyiv resident that bypassed official border crossing points. Although the first attempt failed—the fugitive was detained by border guards—the cleric attempted to organize a second border crossing, demanding an additional payment of $1,100.

During the arrest, law enforcement officers found cash on the suspect, as well as a substance resembling cannabis, which was sent for analysis. Currently, the court has ordered that he be held in custody. The clergyman has been charged under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for a sentence of 7 to 9 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.

As a reminder, it was previously reported that the Kalush City District Court in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast handed down a verdict in a case involving a corruption scheme within the ranks of the OCU. It is reported that OCU hierarch Kirill Mykhailiuk was found guilty of organizing the mass sale of forged ordination documents, which allowed citizens subject to military service to evade mobilization.