“180 cases and 38 verdicts”: The Security Service of Ukraine reported on the number of cases involving priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The Security Service of Ukraine has updated data on the number of criminal cases against clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that have been opened since 2022. According to the special service, in three and a half years of the Russian-Ukrainian war, 180 proceedings were initiated against clergy of the UOC, of which only 38 were proven in court. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

It is reported that among those involved in criminal cases were, among others, 23 representatives of the episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The proceedings were initiated under various articles, ranging from “treason” and “justification of Russian aggression against Ukraine” to “corruption of minors” and “illegal transportation of citizens across the border.”

At present, Ukrainian courts have found a total of 38 clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church guilty of committing crimes. Of these, 11 were convicted in 2024 and 27 in 2025.

It is noteworthy that the grounds for many criminal cases initiated by the SBU against UOC priests were statements on social media, data from personal correspondence, and even greetings on May 9 and February 23 on Facebook pages.

For example, we previously reported that on May 30, 2025, the Smila Court in the Cherkasy region held the first hearing in a criminal case against a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the village of Melnivka. According to the investigation, the clergyman allegedly justified Russian aggression in Ukraine in private correspondence using messengers.