SBU reports results of search in four UOC eparchies

Search in UOC eparchies. Photo: facebook.com/ssu.zhytomyr

The SBU press service described the results of the search at the UOC facilities in Kherson, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr and Volyn regions.

Thus, as a result of searches at the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Kherson, SBU officers "found a collection of icons stolen from the house of the Lithuanian Honorary Consul during the occupation of Kherson, passes issued to the ‘federal advisor to the military and civil administration of the Russian Federation’ and Russian passports of local priests".

"Criminal proceedings under Part 2 of Article 111 (high treason committed under martial law) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine have been initiated on the exposed facts," the statement said.

The SBU officers "found a banner of Novorossiya and a library with propaganda literature by Russian authors" in the Krasnogorsk Holy Intercession Convent (UOC) in the Cherkasy Eparchy.

As a result of searches on the territory of the Kazan Icon Monastery and the Skete of Siluan of Athos in the Ovruch Eparchy, the SBU "exposed former criminals who maintain contacts with Russian subscribers. These contacts are now being checked by the SBU. In another monastery of the Zhytomyr region (Chopovychi Convent - Ed.) a person who has been on the national wanted list as missing since 2020 was found".

"During the prayers in the monasteries, they continued to remember both the aggressor country itself and the Russian media personalities who support the so-called SMO in Ukraine. This is evidenced by the prayer notes found by SBU officers. Law enforcers also found propaganda and religious literature 'approved' for use by the ROC MP and printed in Russia to propagate the 'correct' postulates of the 'true faith' to monks and nuns of the monasteries," the SBU added.

The SBU found "texts of prayers for the aggressor-country and Russian textbooks praising the Kremlin regime" in the St. Nicholas Myltsi Monastery of the Volyn Eparchy.

As earlier reported, the SBU is conducting searches in the monasteries of the Ovruch Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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