The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exposed new crimes of the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Pavlo (Petro Lebid).
This was reported in the press service of SBU.
The law enforcement officers learned that a day before SBU declared the first suspicion against Pavlo, the Metropolitan gave a video interview to one of the Ukrainian media. In it, he denied the existence of Ukraine as a sovereign state.
The Metropolitan also called Russiaʼs armed aggression against Ukraine a "civil conflict" that has been ongoing since 2014. Forensic linguistic examination confirmed these facts.
Investigators of the Security Service informed Metropolitan Pavlo of a new suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 2 of Art. 161 — violation of the equality of citizens depending on their religious beliefs, committed repeatedly by an official;
- part 3 of article 436-2 — justification, recognition as legitimate, denial of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, committed repeatedly by an official.
At the moment, the issue of choosing a preventive measure for Pavlo — detention in custody — is being resolved. The investigation is ongoing. The cleric faces up to 8 years in prison with confiscation of property.
- On April 1, 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine handed Metropolitan Pavlo a charge of inciting religious enmity, and on the same day, the court sent him under house arrest. Pavlo was banned from accessing social networks and ordered to wear an electronic bracelet.
- On June 30, the Solomyansky District Court of Kyiv extended the house arrest for Metropolitan Pavlo for 2 months.