Security Service of Ukraine busts priest who turned out to be accomplice of Russian occupiers

During stabilisation measures in the liberated territories in Ukraine’s east, the Security Service of Ukraine [SSU] exposed another accomplice of the Russian invaders.

Source: SSU press service, Prosecutor's Office in Kharkiv Oblast

Details: The accomplice of the Russians turned out to be a priest of one of the churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) in Kharkiv Oblast.

During the Russian occupation of the Kupiansk district, he urged the locals to support the Russian invaders. In his "sermons", he justified the crimes of the aggressor state in the war against Ukraine.

The accomplice contributed in every possible way to the spread of the occupying regime in the occupied part of Kharkiv Oblast; the SSU emphasised that he had personally contacted Vitaly Ganchev, the local Russian puppet leader.

It was Ganchev with whom the priest of the UOC-MP coordinated his actions to use the church to attract citizens to the ranks of the Russians occupiers and spread lies about the defence forces of Ukraine.

In order to carry out subversive activities, the priest involved a parishioner from one of the local villages, who helped him spread pro-Kremlin propaganda in the hromada [an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories].

During the liberation of the area, the cleric and his parishioner escaped to Russia, where they are hiding from liability.

Currently, both suspects have been notified that they are under suspicion of justifying and recognising the armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine as a lawful act, and denying this aggression. The accomplices were put on the wanted list.

Background: Vasyl Maliuk, the Acting Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, stated that since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Service has found 33 agents and artillery observers in the ranks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) and opened 23 criminal proceedings. 

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