SBU has announced suspicions against a clergyman of the UOC-MP who advocated for the annexation of the Kherson region to Russia. The Security Service of Ukraine has served a notice of suspicion to the subdeacon of the so-called "Kherson Eparchy of the ROC" Nazar Shkilya, who advocated for the "joining" of the Kherson region to Russia.
This was reported by the SBU on May 9.
According to the investigation, during the temporary occupation of Kherson, the defendant was one of the first to support the Russian invaders and entered into cooperation with them as a cleric of the local community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The head of the pseudo-administration created by the Russians, Volodymyr Saldo, approved the candidacy of the suspect for the "position" of the leader of the occupier organization, which operated under the guise of a "youth public association."
It has been established that within the framework of his pseudo-duties, Shkilya gathered "like-minded individuals" to repaint the stele at the entrance to the then-occupied Kherson in the colors of the Russian flag. This collaborator reported on this during live broadcasts on Russia's central television channels.
The cleric also urged believers to support a pseudo-referendum on the "joining" of the region to the Russian Federation.
During the liberation of the Kherson region, the defendant fled to the city of Stavropol together with his father, who is the rector of the local UOC-MP church.
The SBU has gathered evidence against the perpetrator. He is charged with committing crimes under three articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 6 of Article 111-1 (collaboration activities);
- Part 1 of Article 436-2 (denial of armed aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine);
- Part 1 of Article 110 (encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine).
Comprehensive measures are being taken to hold the collaborator accountable. The issue of qualifying the actions of his father, who is also involved in informational subversion activities in favor of the Russian Federation, is being addressed.