The Sumy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has denied reports that one of its clergymen was detained by Security Service of Ukraine officers

The Sumy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has published a refutation of information circulating in the media about the detention of one of their clergymen by SBU employees. The diocese claims that none of their clergymen have been detained on suspicion of “coordinating Russian strikes on the Sumy region.” This was reported by the press service of the Sumy Diocese of the UOC.

«The press service of the Sumy Diocese of the UOC informs believers and the media that the information spread in recent days about the alleged detention of a ‘clergyman of the Sumy Diocese of the UOC (MP)’ is not true. The clergyman depicted in the photos published in the media is not a cleric of the Sumy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. None of the clergymen of the Sumy Diocese have been detained or accused of collaborating with the enemy. The Sumy Diocese of the UOC calls on journalists and authors of publications to be responsible when covering sensitive topics, to check facts, and to refrain from spreading unverified or false information,» — the statement said.

Earlier, we reported that the Security Service of Ukraine announced the detention of a clergyman of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Sumy region. According to the agency, the clergyman is suspected of “coordinating Russian strikes on the Sumy region.” He faces up to 8 years in prison.

According to some sources, the clergyman is not from the Sumy diocese, but from the Konotop diocese of the UOC, which is also located within the Sumy region.