SBU official sees threat from UOC

On 27 October 2022, the acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Maliuk, said that he sees "possible threats" from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church but that he is sure that his agency will cope with them, reports the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

Asked by a journalist if he sees threats of hostile influence in the activities of the UOC, Maliuk said that "yes, there are threats". "But I would be wrong if I said that this is a threat that the Service cannot influence and document in time," the acting head of the SBU stressed.

According to Maliuk, "this environment (the UOC – Ed.) is an ideal field for the functioning of an enemy residence". "Therefore, we are working in this direction qualitatively," the head of the Security Service of Ukraine assured.

Maliuk also said that since the beginning of the war, the SBU has opened 23 criminal proceedings against those "personas" suspected of cooperating with the FSB. According to him, "there are already 33 suspects, ranging from classic deep intelligence agents to banal fire spotters in cassocks".

As earlier reported,  the Security Service of Ukraine said that the transfers of communities from the UOC to the OCU, which were initiated by the authorities, threaten the country's national security.

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