Ukraine’s SBU security service accused a senior Orthodox Christian clergyman of engaging in anti–Ukrainian activities through support for Russian policies via social media posts.
This announcement was made after several raids on property owned by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Church is historically connected to Russia and has been under increasing pressure since Russia invade .
SBU reported that the archbishop of a west Ukrainian diocese had distributed posters that “humiliated national honor and dignity and incited religious hatred and hostility”.
A Facebook profile was used to spread “narratives regarding Russian propagandists”. It did not provide any additional information.
Moscow has been supported and promoted by the Orthodox Church of Russia. Kiev suggests that some clergy in Ukraine might be receiving orders from Moscow.
Officials of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Later, the SBU reported that 16 “suspicious people” were found on the grounds surrounding an Orthodox Church monastery near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. This area is now closed to civilians.
They would face charges for being in a prohibited area, and a probe will be launched to see if they have violated any state security laws.
A spokesperson for the church said last week that it always acted in accordance with Ukrainian law and that there was not any legal basis to press its followers.
Dmitry Medvedev, an ex-Russian president, called Kyiv’s authorities “satanists” and “enemies of Christ and the Orthodox faith last Wednesday.
Most of Ukraine’s residents are Orthodox Christians. Since the fall of Soviet power, tensions have been high between independent Ukrainian churches and those subordinated to Moscow.
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