In Donetsk region, a cleric of the Pokrovsky Vicariate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is suspected of collaborating with the FSS

In Donetsk region, the counterintelligence service of the Security Service of Ukraine arrested a 58-year-old priest of the Pokrovsky Vicariate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who is accused of allegedly cooperating with the FSS of Russia. Investigators believe that the priest was recruited through his daughter, who lives in Russia. According to case materials, she had previously written to Russian President Vladimir Putin requesting Russian citizenship for her mother and sister from Ukraine. This information is disseminated by «Glavcom,» citing the SSU’s data.

According to the SSU’s version, a Russian intelligence officer contacted the priest remotely and offered cooperation in exchange for the evacuation of his family to Russia with citizenship and other assistance.

After this, the priest allegedly agreed to the proposal and began gathering information about the locations of command posts, fortifications, and logistical centers of Ukrainian forces in the Volnovakha district. These coordinates, according to the case materials, were intended to be used for shelling Ukrainian units with air-dropped bombs, rockets, and artillery.

«However, law enforcement thwarted the plans of the Russian agent. During a search, a mobile phone was seized from the detainee containing evidence of working for the enemy,» according to the «Glavcom» website.

SSU investigators informed the detainee of the suspicion of treason (Part 2, Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) for a conspiracy of a group of individuals under martial law.

The priest is currently in custody. He faces a life sentence with property confiscation.

Earlier, it was reported that in the Kharkiv region, the rector of one of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s temples is accused of allegedly spreading information about the location of Ukrainian military forces. According to the investigation, the cleric’s actions could have led to targeted strikes against the city’s defense forces.