Employees of the Pechersk police department handed over the suspicion to a priest of the UOC MP who damaged the equipment of a media operator on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The press service of the National Police of Kyiv writes about this.
The law enforcement officers established that the man snatched the cameramanʼs microphone and broke the mounts on the camera.
As the police told Babel, the suspect was a 41-year-old clergyman Vasyl from Rivne region. His rank is unknown.
The priest was declared of the suspicion of obstructing the professional activities of journalists (Part 1 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code). This article provides either a fine of up to 50 tax-free minimums, or an arrest of up to six months, or a restriction of freedom up to three years.
- On March 30, the priest damaged the operatorʼs equipment. At that time, Suspilne reported on the attack on the correspondents, showing a video of the incident. The priest who called himself "Father Arsenii" is on the footage. He has attacked journalists before. In 2021, he took the phone from a Magnolia-TV correspondent.