Security Service detains abbot of Sviatohirsk Lavra of Moscow-linked church
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has detained Metropolitan Arsenii, the abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), for his subversive activities.
Source: the SSU’s press office
Details: The investigation materials indicate that the cleric passed the locations of Defence Forces checkpoints in the Kramatorsk district in Donetsk Oblast to the Russians during his liturgy.
At that time, the vicar recorded the addresses of the Ukrainian military checkpoints for the parishioners. Later, this video was posted on the lavra's website and on a local Telegram channel group.
In this way, the cleric attempted to covertly leak the locations of Ukrainian checkpoints to the Russians in the frontline area.
The SSU states that even before the full-scale invasion of Russia, the metropolitan expressed pro-Kremlin narratives regarding the war in Ukraine. This is evidenced by the vicar's repeated interviews, in which he referred to Russia's armed aggression as a "civil conflict."
Based on the collected evidence, the Security Service investigators served the metropolitan with a notice of suspicion of disseminating information about the movement, location, or deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the possibility of their identification on the ground.
Currently, the issue of applying preventive measures to him is being resolved.
An investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the crime. The suspect faces up to 8 years in prison.
