Ukraine's Security Service finishes investigation against Russian-aligned church metropolitan Pavlo, sends indictment to court

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO — Friday, 20 October 2023, 15:30

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has finished the investigation against Pavlo, metropolitan of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP)), and sent the indictment to court. He was involved in sabotage activity against Ukraine.

Source: SSU, Kyiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office

Details: Metropolitan Pavlo (born Petro Lebid) is accused under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

Article 161.2 (violation of equality between citizens based on their religious beliefs repeatedly committed by an official);
Article 436.2.3 (justification, recognising as lawful, denying the armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine, repeatedly committed by an official).

The sanctions of the articles stipulate for eight years of imprisonment with the confiscation of property.

The investigation has determined that Pavlo has, on many occasions, publicly denied the existence of Ukraine as a sovereign state.

He also called the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine a "civil conflict", which has been ongoing since 2014.

The SSU has initiated the forensic linguistic examination, which confirmed the facts of unlawful acts by the clergyman.

The Prosecutor’s Office states that the indictment was sent to the Pecherskyi District Court of the city of Kyiv.

Background:

On April 1, Pavlo was served with a notice of suspicion of violation of citizens' equality based on their religious preferences, and justification, recognition as legitimate, or denial of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine, or glorification of its participants.
The Security Service of Ukraine said it had gathered substantiated evidence that Lebid was involved in inciting religious hatred and justifying and denying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.
In the courtroom, Lebid stated that he was "against aggression", but did not mention Russia as the perpetrator.
On 1 April, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court in Kyiv placed Metropolitan Pavlo under round-the-clock house arrest until 30 May, but on 14 July the Solomiansky District Court changed the preventive measure to detention with the possibility of making bail of more than UAH 33 million.
On 7 August, it became known that Lebid was released on bail to get out of the pre-trial detention centre.

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