The SBU documented new facts of illegal activities of an agent network that conducted information sabotage commissioned by the Russian FSB.
This was reported by the SBU press service.
Members of this criminal organization massively created and "dispersed" pro-Kremlin narratives and media provocations. This was intended to destabilize the socio-political situation and incite religious hatred in Ukraine.
In March of this year, as a result of comprehensive measures, the SBU exposed the group's members, and four key figures were detained. They are currently in pre-trial detention.
The investigation has obtained additional evidence of the illegal activities of the agents of the said network.
Therefore, it was established that the main goal of the defendants was to undermine society on religious grounds. The exposed agents sought to disseminate provocative materials to as many people as possible.
The distorted information concerned the participation of state institutions in the process of transferring religious communities from the UOC to the OCU.
In particular, based on the scenario developed by the leaders of the criminal organization, members of the agent network filmed a pseudo-documentary entitled "Empty Churches of Ukraine: What is happening to the seized churches of the UOC" and published it on controlled YouTube platforms.
It was established that the film's development was carried out per the methodological recommendations received from Russia. These "guidelines" defined the procedure for the actions of functionaries and contained prescribed templates for statements by public figures and information resources to be used during subversive activities.
The "guidelines" also identified specific public figures and information resources against which fakes were to be used.
The prepared content was disseminated through dozens of controlled channels on Telegram and YouTube, as well as on Facebook pages and official websites of the UOC-MP dioceses.
Immediately after the publication of the paid-for materials, they were "picked up" by central TV channels and online publications of the Russian Federation for the dissemination of the PSYOP.
Based on the collected evidence, four detainees and six other members of the criminal organization were served new suspicions under three articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 4 of Art. 28 (committing an offense as part of a criminal organization)
- Part 3 of Art. 161 (incitement to religious hatred and enmity committed by an organized group);
- Art. 436-2, parts 1, 2 (justification, recognition of the legitimacy, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine).
The offenders face life imprisonment.
The operation was conducted by the SBU Main Directorate in Kyiv city and Kyiv region under the supervision of the Kyiv Region Prosecutor's Office.