SBU exposes over 60 UOC-MP clergy working for Russia since the start of full-scale war

The SBU is actively combating subversive activities by Russian special services and criminal elements in the religious environment of Ukraine. According to the SBU's information, 68 criminal investigations have been initiated against representatives of the UOC-MP, including 14 bishops, since the start of Russia's full-scale aggression. Among the crimes uncovered are 20 cases of state treason, collaboration with the aggressor country, and aiding the aggressor, as reported by the SBU press service.

Furthermore, law enforcement agencies are investigating 18 cases related to public incitement of religious hatred, as well as the sale of firearms and the distribution of child pornography.

As a result of operational and investigative activities, 26 individuals who are representatives of the UOC-MP have been informed of suspicions, and 19 offenders have already received judicial sentences.

Thanks to these efforts, two convicted collaborating clergy members were exchanged for Ukrainian soldiers who were in captivity by Russian forces. One such case involved the abbot of the Holy Tikhvin Church in Severodonetsk Eparchy of the UOC-MP, who, in April 2022, "betrayed" members of the resistance movement to Russian occupiers within the community. Based on evidence presented by the SBU, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Subsequently, he was exchanged, along with captured Russian military personnel, for 63 Ukrainian defenders.

SBU operatives also detained a clergyman from the Horlivka Eparchy of the UOC-MP, who, after the capture of Lymanske, organized gatherings of community residents to "elect" the leadership of the local occupation administration. Based on SBU materials, he received a 7-year prison sentence and was later exchanged for Ukrainian defenders who had fallen into the hands of Russian invaders.

Additionally, the head of the Tulchyn Eparchy of the UOC-MP in Vinnytsia Oblast was sentenced to 5 years in prison. The offender propagated armed aggression by the Russian Federation among believers and justified the temporary occupation of part of Ukraine's territory.

Moreover, at the initiative of the Security Service, Ukrainian citizenship was revoked for 19 representatives of the UOC-MP who held Russian passports and disseminated pro-Kremlin narratives about the war in Ukraine. Among them were metropolitans from Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odessa regions, as well as those from the temporarily occupied Crimea.

Additionally, based on SBU information, entry into Ukraine has been banned for more than 177 clergy members of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), including the former metropolitans of Romny and Buri, both of the UOC-MP in Sumy Oblast.

Comprehensive measures are ongoing to identify all individuals involved in subversive activities in the religious environment of Ukraine during wartime.

The Security Service emphasizes that it operates exclusively within the boundaries of the Ukrainian Constitution and existing legislation while respecting the rights of every citizen to freedom of religious belief and worldview.