SSU serves notice of suspicion to a number of hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church

The Security Service of Ukraine has announced that a number of bishops — members of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church — have been suspected in absentia. According to the agency, a large-scale evidence base was collected against four representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church episcopate, according to which they allegedly spread the “Kremlin regime” in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Among the “accused” is the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony (Sevriuk). This is reported on the website of the department.

It is reported that the SBU suspects the following:

• the head of the St. Petersburg Metropolis, Metropolitan Varsonofy (Anatoly Sudakov);
• the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony (Anton Sevryuk);
• Metropolitan of Krutitsky (Georgy Ponomarev), the administrator of the Kolomna Diocese and patriarchal vicar of the Moscow Metropolis;
• Metropolitan Dionysius (Petr Porubai), Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate.

“According to the case file, during 2022-2023, they facilitated the seizure of property of Ukrainian churches on the left bank of the Kherson region, as well as in Crimea and the temporarily occupied districts of Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions. To do this, the suspects, under the leadership of Patriarch Gundyaev, secured a decision of the Russian Synod to “join” Ukrainian religious communities to the Russian Orthodox Church. In this way, Russian clerics seized churches, church buildings, and land in the dioceses of Dzhankoi, Berdiansk, Rovenky, and Kherson and appointed bishops controlled by Moscow. Later, the proteges of the aggressor country imposed Kremlin narratives on the faithful, in which they blessed the Russian war against Ukraine and justified the crimes of the occupiers. Based on the evidence collected, Sudakov, Sevriuk, Porubay and Ponomaryov were served in absentia with a notice of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding and abetting in the commission of intentional acts to change the boundaries of the territory or state border of Ukraine, by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, which led to other grave consequences),” — the SBU reports.

Earlier, we reported that the Security Service of Ukraine in Zhytomyr region served a notice of suspicion to a priest of the Korosten-Ovruch Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to the investigation, the priest preached sermons in which he allegedly justified Russia’s attack on Ukraine and urged people not to respond to the slogan “Glory to Ukraine.” The priest faces 8 years in prison.