Law enforcement officers detained the rector of the church of the Khust diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, who incited religious and ethnic hatred in the border region, and also justified Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. UNN reports this with reference to the SBU.
Details
According to the investigation, the cleric called the full-scale invasion of Russia a "civil war" and urged believers to evade mobilization. In addition, he incited parishioners against representatives of one of the national minorities and parishioners of other religious denominations.
The cleric spread provocative rhetoric while communicating with local residents, as well as on his own Facebook page.
"In this way, the defendant tried to undermine the socio-political situation in the region in favor of the aggressor country," the SBU said.
Based on the evidence collected, the rector of the UOC-MP church was notified of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- ч. 1, Art. 161 (violation of equality of citizens based on their race, nationality, region, religious beliefs and other grounds);
- ч. 2, Art. 436-2 (justification, recognition of the legitimacy, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants).
The investigation is ongoing. The cleric faces up to 5 years in prison.