The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) declared the Metropolitan of the Kirovohrad Diocese of the UOC (MP) Ioasaf (Huben) the suspicion that he justified the occupation of Crimea
This was reported by the SSU press service.
"The bishop was part of the inner circle of Moscow Patriarch Kirill, with whom he coordinated the spread of pro-Kremlin views in the region," reports the SSU.
For this, the metropolitan was in constant contact with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and carried out his instructions, justifying Russian aggression and the seizure of part of the territory of Ukraine.
"Instructions from Moscow came in the form of written circulars, as well as during personal meetings on the territory of the Russian Federation," the special service assures.
The law enforcement officers found out that hostile propaganda literature, which was printed in thousands of copies in Russia, was distributed to people in the churches of the community. In these books, Russian authors questioned Ukrainian statehood and praised the Kremlin regime.
On the basis of the collected evidence base, the Metropolitan was informed of suspicion under Part 1 of Art. 161 (violation of the equality of citizens depending on their racial, national, regional belonging, religious beliefs, disability and on other grounds) of the Criminal Code.
The SSU does not name the suspect, but according to the website of the Kirovohrad Diocese of the UOC MP, it is headed by Metropolitan Ioasaf.
- At the end of November, the SSU conducted a series of searches in churches, monasteries and lavras of the UOC MP, in particular in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The series of searches began after a scandal over a prayer service in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, during which parishioners sang the song "The bell is ringing, itʼs ringing over Russia. Mother Russia is waking up." The priest was declared the suspicion for this.
- Subsequently, the SSU conducted searches in monasteries in Transcarpathia, in the Mukachevo diocese, in the Ivano-Frankivsk diocese, in the Pochaiv seminary, and in the Ternopil diocese. During the searches, numerous evidences of pro-Russian propaganda and probable cooperation of representatives of the UOC-MP with Russia were found.
- On December 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine instructed the government to submit a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada to ban the activities of religious organizations affiliated with Russia in Ukraine. First of all, this will affect the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.