The SBU called the number of criminal cases against the clergy of the UOC

SBU: Since 2022, cases have been opened in Ukraine against 61 clergymen of the UOC

Since 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine has opened more than 60 criminal cases against the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), according to the SBU telegram channel on Saturday.

“61 criminal proceedings have been initiated against 61 clergy,” the message says.

It is specified that Ukrainian courts have already issued 7 sentences “in relation to individual clerics”.

Two of these priests were used in exchange for Ukrainian servicemen.

In addition, according to the SBU, Kyiv imposed sanctions on 17 representatives of the UOC clergy. 19 clergy were deprived of Ukrainian citizenship. It will be noted that they had citizenship of the Russian Federation.

Earlier on Saturday, it was reported that a court in Kyiv began to consider the issue of a measure of restraint for the rector of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel.

Later, the media reported that the Metropolitan became ill at the meeting – his sugar jumped. The court adjourned the hearing until Monday. However, later, after it became known that the Metropolitan was in the hospital, it was reported that the court had decided to forcibly transport him to the meeting on Saturday evening from a medical institution.

Since October last year, the SBU has been conducting searches in the premises belonging to the UOC. The security forces came to the ruling bishop of the Tulchin diocese, to the Vinnitsa Metropolitan Jonathan, who was accused of “supporting the Kremlin and inciting hatred.”

The searches took place in the premises of Alexandria, Chernivtsi-Bukovina, Svetlogorsk and other dioceses.

In the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the Holy Trinity Koretsky Monastery and the Sarnensko-Polesye diocese, “pro-Russian literature” was found during searches. The SBU reported that it was intended “to promote the ‘Russian world’ in seminaries and parochial schools.”

At the end of 2022, searches took place in 14 churches in the Kharkiv region, and on December 29, the SBU conducted raids in the Khmelnytsky and Dnipropetrovsk regions.