Ukrainian courts have already issued seven verdicts against clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), who sided with the enemy, while one priest of the Moscow Patriarchate of Ukraine was exchanged for 28 Ukrainian servicemen.
This was reported by the head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, according to Ukrinform.
Malyuk noted that counterintelligence measures against the UOC-MP were launched last year. "As a result, criminal proceedings have been initiated against 61 clergymen. In total, courts have already handed down seven verdicts against individual clerics who sided with the enemy," he said.
At the same time, the head of the SBU reported that two UOC-MP priests were exchanged. "And I want to emphasize that the enemy highly values its agents in robes - yes, one such person was exchanged for 28 Ukrainian servicemen," Malyuk said.
He also said that the SBU has revoked the citizenship of 19 UOC-MP clergymen based on SBU materials.
"I have already said before that the presence of a robe and incense is not an aggravating circumstance, but it does not exempt from criminal responsibility. And there are no indulgences. We work exclusively within the framework of the law, despite the ecclesiastical rank," the head of the SBU emphasized.