The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) conducted a search of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Chernivtsi and found evidence of cooperation of the Chernivtsi-Bukovyna Diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate (MP) with the occupiers.
This was reported by the SSU press service.
The secret service employees found documents confirming the presence of Russian citizenship in the leadership of diocesan structures, correspondence of diocesan leaders with Moscow curators in which they receive "methodology" regarding the "peculiarities" of church liturgies, warehouses with wholesale batches of pro-Kremlin literature calling for support for the occupiers, as well as copies of certificates of militants who participated in battles against Ukrainian troops. Among the documents found is a "Hero of Russia" certificate signed by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation for the occupation of Crimea in 2014.
In addition, correspondence with representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church was found. In it, dioceses are tasked with dealing with disinformation, denying Russiaʼs aggression, and telling the faithful about the alleged oppression of the "Moscow Church."
Criminal proceedings under the article of treason have been initiated.
- Prior to this, the SSU conducted searches in three monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the leadership of the dioceses of the Moscow Patriarchate in the Kirovohrad region, and the head of the Vinnytsia diocese (he was informed of the suspicion).
- Recently, the Security Service started criminal proceedings on the fact of the incident that happened on November 12 in one of the temples of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Then, during the service in the church, they sang the song "The bell floats, floats over Russia. Mother Russia is waking up."