The SBU sent the case against four Orthodox journalists of the UOJ and the First Cossack to court

The Security Service of Ukraine has sent to court an indictment against four of the 14 defendants in the criminal proceedings related to the activities of the media resources Union of Orthodox Journalists and First Cossack Channel. According to the SBU, these platforms were used to «spread pro-Russian rhetoric of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church» and «criticize the military and political leadership of Ukraine». This was reported to LB.ua from its own sources.

The defendants in the case are the head of the First Cossack, the editor-in-chief, one of the organizers and a journalist. They are accused of «creating and leading a criminal organization, violating the equal rights of citizens based on their religious beliefs, treason and justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation». Currently, court hearings are continuing in these cases. Another 10 people involved in the criminal proceedings are on the wanted list.

Based on the evidence provided by the SBU, the State Service for Special Communication and Information Protection banned the hosting of the resources of the Union of Orthodox Journalists and the First Cossack Channel. In addition, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine is working on banning the activities of these resources internationally on social networks, in particular on YouTube and Telegram.

Businessman Viktor Vyshnevetskyy, who is described as a patron of the UOC and a sponsor of these media resources, was also suspected in absentia. According to available information, the SBU proposed to impose sanctions against Vishnevetsky, which requires the approval of the authorized President on sanctions policy.

We shall remind you that on November 6, 2024, the Shevchenkivskyy district court of Kyiv changed the preventive measure for Orthodox journalists Valeriy Stupnitskyy and Andriy Ovcharenko, who were detained by SBU officers in the «UOJ case».