The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exposed a clergyman of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) who was blessing Russian occupiers in Izyum.
According to the SBU press service, another supporter of ruscism was exposed in the Kharkiv province, as he publicly justified Russia's armed aggression and the war crimes of the occupiers. The person in question is a clergyman from one of the religious communities of the UOC-MP in the district of Izyum.
During the temporary occupation of the region, the clergyman voluntarily supported the Russian invaders and "set an example" by urging other local residents to do the same. He publicly stated that the local religious community is exclusively subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). In connection with this, the clergyman took the initiative to write a letter to an assistant of the Moscow Patriarch Kirill, requesting "humanitarian aid" for the occupied part of the region.
Subsequently, the individual used Russian goods to ensure the "loyalty" of the local population towards the occupiers. Additionally, he repeatedly appeared in front of Kremlin propagandists' cameras who had arrived in the then-occupied Izyum. In his comments, the offender discredited Ukrainian defenders, denied the facts of Russian aggression, and glorified the destroyed Russian-backed militants.
Based on the collected evidence, the clergyman was informed of the suspicion under Part 3 of Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justification of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine using mass media).