The husband organized artificial riots in the monastery and filmed videos that were picked up by enemy media.
Cleric in the Kiev Pechersk LavaThe Security Service of Ukraine reported suspicion to the cleric of the UOC (MP), who organized provocations in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and acted in favor of the aggressor country.
“According to the investigation, the defendant is one of the closest associates of Metropolitan Paul (Lebed)) and is involved in organizing mass provocations in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in the spring of 2023,” the SBU reported.
Under the guise of “protest actions,” the cleric hoped to undermine the socio-political situation in Kyiv as much as possible. To do this, he remotely coordinated his actions with the pro-Kremlin blogger Shariy, who is already suspected of high treason.
The SBU exposed a Lavra cleric who collaborated with Shariy
As the investigation found, the enemy propagandist “instructed” the hierodeacon to record and distribute provocative videos of artificial riots near the Lavra. in particular for international audiences.
The cleric organized artificial protests last year in the Lavra
” In addition, in correspondence with believers, the cleric justified Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine and praised the highest military-political leadership of Russia. At the same time, the person involved regularly tried to discredit the Defense Forces, including the defenders of Mariupol,” the SBU added.
They also noted that a forensic examination confirmed the facts of his explosive activities.
During the searches, computer equipment, more than ten mobile phones and almost 300 SIM cards with evidence of criminal actions were found on the cleric.
About 10 phones and more than 300 SIM cards were confiscated from the suspect
The suspect was declared suspected under Part 1 of Art. 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justification, recognition as lawful, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants).
An investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the crime. The attacker faces imprisonment.
- The searches in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra became known this morning.
- The first protests against the return of the Lavra’s property to the state took place at the end of March 2023. Then supporters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) obstructed the activities of the commission of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, which was supposed to conduct an inventory of the property of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In particular, they interfered with the work of journalists and threatened to damage equipment.
- Subsequently, Kiev police officers reported suspicions against a 41-year-old representative of the clergy of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra of obstructing journalistic activities.
- The prosecutor's office also sent court indictment against a minister of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, who damaged the equipment of journalists during filming on the territory of the Lavra.
- On April 20, 2023, law enforcement officers informed four people of suspicion of committing hooliganism on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. The detainees were two women, born in 1986 and 1984, and two men, born in 1983 and 2001.