SBI Opens Cases Following Statement by Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Representatives on Possible Religious Hostility

Following a statement from representatives of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) in Kyiv has initiated pre-trial investigations in two criminal cases related to possible incitement of religious hostility, as defined in Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This was reported by the Lavra’s lawyer, Mykyta Chekman, on his Telegram channel.

The first case concerns Mykola Tochytsky, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, who, while commenting on the order dismissing M.A. Ostapenko from the position of General Director of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra,” may have committed an offense under Part 2 of Article 161 of the Criminal Code.

The second case was opened against Viktor Yelensky, Head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, who allegedly violated Part 1 of Article 161 of the Criminal Code during an interview with the Suspilne Chernivtsi TV channel.

The investigation is ongoing, and the SBI is reviewing the circumstances of each case.

Earlier, it was also reported that the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, provided information on the number of criminal cases initiated by the agency against clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to Malyuk, since 2022, 31 verdicts have been issued for “state treason” and “incitement of hostility.”