The international intelligence community InformNapalm published material on the financing and lobbying of the interests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine. Special attention was paid to figures who actively contributed to the spread of the Russian church's influence in the capital.
Among the key lobbyists in Kyiv, Oleksiy Omelyanenko, the former head of the "Party of Regions" faction in the Kyiv City Council, was named. According to investigators, he was the main driver behind the allocation of dozens of land plots for the construction of UOC-MP churches and chapels, often in violation of procedures and despite public protests.
His partner in religious projects was former MP Vasyl Horbal. Their relationship has a long history: they were business partners in "Ukrgasbank," but later their paths diverged with a scandal. Omelyanenko became a defendant in criminal cases, and Horbal publicly accused him of stealing 25.9 million hryvnias.
The material also mentions Mykola Lavrenko, president of VS Energy, a company linked to Russian business, who acted as a ktitor of the Cathedral of the 12 Apostles in Osokorky. In addition, Yuriy Erynyak, known in criminal circles as "Moldovan," is listed as the head of the UOC-MP religious community in the Darnytskyi district.
It should be recalled that on August 27, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethno-politics and Freedom of Conscience recognized the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate as affiliated with a foreign religious organization whose activities are prohibited in Ukraine. That is, with the Russian Orthodox Church.