The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has already informed the head of the Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Feodosius (Denys Snihiryov) about the fourth suspicion. According to the investigation, the cleric spread fakes about the "capture" of the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God in Cherkasy and said that church servants were expelled from there.
This was reported by SBU press service.
Law enforcement officers claim that the cleric tried to discredit clergymen of other denominations in his sermons. He also recorded "destructive video messages" on the official page of the Cherkasy Eparchy of the UOC MP in social networks. These were the conclusions of the forensic linguistic examination.
The Metropolitan received a suspicion of a violation of the equality of citizens depending on their religious beliefs, committed by an official repeatedly. After that, he was sent under 24-hour house arrest. Sitting at home, the metropolitan continued to spread Kremlin propaganda fakes about the events in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and tried to discredit the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). He faces up to 8 years in prison.
In 2023, Metropolitan Theodosius received three charges. Two of them for inciting inter-religious enmity and one for denying Russiaʼs armed aggression.