UOC hierarch charged in absentia with justifying Russian aggression

The hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Mitrofan of Horlivka and Slavyansk, has been suspected in absentia of justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. According to the investigation, the basis for the charges was the hierarch’s interview with a Russian TV channel, in which he allegedly publicly supported the actions of the occupation forces.

According to the Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office, the incident took place in May 2024. The investigation claims that the metropolitan in an interview for a «propaganda TV channel» justified the armed aggression of the Russian Federation, which began in 2014.

In this regard, prosecutors charged the hierarch in absentia with suspicion under part 3 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justification of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine). Currently, Metropolitan Mitrofan is on a wanted list.

We shall remind you that the Security Service of Ukraine recently 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».