"The devil misled me": convicted priest of the UOC-MP in the Sumy region revealed committing state treason

In an interview with the 1+1 TV channel, the man talked about his motives for cooperating with the Russian FSB. This was reported by Suspilne.

"It's shameful to admit, I took photographs of Ukrainian soldiers where they lived," the convicted man confessed.

At first, he received an SMS message from the Russian FSB with a proposal for cooperation, the man added.

"They asked to find out where the soldiers lived. Then I decided to step back from this, and four months later, one man came again and said, 'We need your help.' And for a couple of weeks, he sent photos again," explained Mykola Zakroyets.

According to him, he did not receive any money, as he cooperated "out of ideological convictions."

"I'm sitting for the Russian idea. It's clear that I would like Russia to win, there's no point in hiding it," added the convicted man.

When asked by the journalist how the church treats traitors, the man replied: "I do not consider myself a traitor at all. I am Russian in spirit."

The man's eldest son is currently studying at the Moscow Theological Academy.

According to the court verdict, Mykola Zakroyets provided information about the address of residence and contacts of the head of the Yampol community. In addition, the man provided data on the heads of law enforcement agencies in Shostka and Yampol, other officials of local authorities in the Shostka district, and journalists from Yampol.

On March 3, 2023, the SBU reported that the abbot of the UOC-MP church in the Shostka district of the Sumy region was detained on suspicion of collecting intelligence about the defense of the region for the Russian FSB.

Mykola Zakroyets was a priest of St George Parish, the UOC-MP Diocese of Konotop.