SSU notifies another UOC priest of suspicion in absentia

The Security Service of Ukraine has served another priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with a notice of suspicion in absentia. According to the investigation, the priest, being the rector of one of the churches of the UOC in Zaporizhzhia region, “made pro-Russian speeches, justified Russian aggression and supported the aggressor’s army.” This was reported by the press service of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Administration.

According to the investigation, after the full-scale invasion of Russia, the archpriest repeatedly “addressed the residents of the Melitopol district with pro-Russian speeches, during which he justified the occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine, glorified representatives of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, and supported the armed forces of the aggressor state.”

According to the SSU, “the offender coordinated his subversive activities with representatives of the command of Russian military groups. The examinations initiated by the Security Service confirmed the facts of his information and subversive activities against our state.”

Based on the collected evidence, the cleric was served a notice of suspicion in absentia under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

– Part 5 of Art. 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (public calls for illegal elections in the temporarily occupied territory);

– Part 436-2, parts 1, 3 (justification, recognition of the legitimacy, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants).

As a reminder, the Security Service of Ukraine recently reported the detention of a deacon of one of the churches of the Kharkiv Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The clergyman is accused of spying for Russia. According to the investigation, the detainee was allegedly engaged in identifying the concentrations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the region by “asking the ‘necessary’ information from parishioners.”