The abbot of the church of the Shepetivka eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP) in Khmelnytskyi was suspected of inciting religious hatred and supporting Russia in the war.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
According to the investigation, after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the clergyman in his sermons during the liturgy praised Putin and blamed the Ukrainian government for the war.
In addition, the archpriest spread Russian fakes about the war and interfaith relations in Ukraine on his own page in the “VKontakte” social network banned in Ukraine.
For example, the suspect called the armed aggression of the Russian Federation a "civil conflict" and insulted the parishioners of other religious communities. In this way, he tried to shake up the socio-political situation in the region in favor of Russia — this was confirmed by the appropriate expertise.
The suspect faces up to five years in prison.