Met Meletiy: Application for "Russian passport" was planted to me by SBU

Metropolitan Meletiy (Egorenko). Photo: the press service of the Chernivtsi Eparchy

Metropolitan Meletiy of Chernivtsi and Bukovyna commented on all the "claims" made by the SBU, which were addressed to him.

In particular, the Bishop noted that he does not have a Russian passport.

"And here the question is not to me but to the SBU. If I applied for this passport in 2007, how could they have such a document? Are they collaborating with the aggressor? This application form is not filled out in my handwriting. The only thing I can identify is my signature and my photo," the UOC hierarch said.

"It is interesting that this scribble they planted on me (an application form for a Russian passport – Ed.), they put in the documents from St. Luke's Clinic. That is, fresh documents which I know very well, I know what is in them. And that there could never be this statement, which I do not even know who wrote," added Metropolitan Meletiy.

The head of the DECR UOC also said that around 1 o'clock on November 26, when the searches were still "in progress," he was finally allowed to see his lawyer, who showed him the report from the SBU press service with the results of the search.

"It said as if they had found a lot of anti-Ukrainian literature, my application for a Russian passport, 'my' medal for the 'liberation of Crimea'. Funny? It was funny to me too at first. Then they corrected themselves and said that it was on the computer of one of my assistants who had a sample of this medal, but there were biographies of some Russian heroes. What sane person could believe that in the eparchy’s computers we would collect heroes of Russia, military men who commit aggression against our country?" asks the bishop.

The Metropolitan noted that if dirty information continues to appear in the media, the faithful should remember that this is all the work of the service, which should take care of Ukraine's security.

As earlier reported, Metropolitan Meletiy said that SBU officers suggested he join the OCU in order to avoid further persecution.

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