On May 8, 2025, during a public event, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic presented Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev) of Moscow with the Order of the Republic of Serbia. It was noted that he was seen with a panagia, which is likely to have been stolen.
This was reported by the Spiritual Front of Ukraine.
The panagia, crafted as a unique piece by the jewelers of Lavra, was stolen in 2016 from the residence of Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabynko). This panagia previously belonged to the late Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan), and there are no similar items in Russia.
This information raises new questions regarding the investigation of criminal proceedings No. 12016110200000924, which was initiated on March 12, 2016, under Part 5 of Article 185 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (theft on an especially large scale). The case pertains to the theft of two safes containing personal valuables belonging to Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabynko) in the village of Khodosivka, Kyiv region.
As reported, on April 6, 2017, during a special operation conducted by the National Police, a group of individuals was detained while attempting to sell part of the stolen property, estimated to be worth $500,000. The detainees included S.O. Bents, V.Y. Dubliak, A.M. Korol, K.V. Fartushniak, and O.I. Savenko, who conspired together in this crime. A portion of the victim's stolen property belonging to Metropolitan Oleksandr was also recovered.
According to law enforcement agencies, among those detained were two priests of the UOC-MP: Stepan Bents and Oleksiy Savenko. Priest Stepan Bents has since died, while Oleksiy Savenko remains the rector of the Church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, located on Hryshka Street, 1, in Poznyaki. It was reported that during conversations with a potential (but fictitious) buyer, the defendants inquired whether he possessed a Russian passport.
Despite the detention of several individuals and the seizure of part of the stolen goods, only Priest Stepan Bents was formally notified of suspicion under Article 198 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which pertains to the acquisition, receipt, storage, or sale of property obtained through criminal means. Following this, a plea agreement was reached without the victim's notice or consent. Other individuals identified by Bents were not brought to justice.
Those involved in the case, who were detained with material evidence, remain at large. As for the investigation, it has been ongoing for more than eight years with no significant progress. According to the victim, the investigation is characterized by a lack of active investigative actions. In May 2019, the pre-trial investigation was transferred to the Kyiv City Police Department, but despite the public interest surrounding this crime, there have been no substantial developments, and the investigation has not been conducted adequately. Some of the stolen property has still not been recovered.
The publication notes that the appearance of Patriarch Kirill wearing a panagia that matches the description and photo of the stolen one raises serious questions about how these valuables made their way to Russia. This situation suggests a need for additional investigative efforts and international legal cooperation to uncover all the circumstances surrounding the case and to return the stolen items to their rightful owner, Metropolitan Oleksandr.
The key questions that remain are who exactly stole Metropolitan Oleksandr's valuables, how the stolen items ended up with those attempting to sell them, and how the unique panagia could have come to be in the possession of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.