Prosecutors of the District Prosecutor's Office of Chernivtsi, together with the police and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), uncovered a clergyman of the UOC (MP) who organized the illegal transportation of conscription-age men abroad. He involved an accomplice – a 42-year-old resident of the village of Bancheni in the Chernivtsi region.

According to the investigation, the clergyman promised two military conscripts to arrange an unobstructed crossing of the Ukrainian-Romanian border for 13 thousand euros per person.

He involved an acquaintance in the illegal "business," who provided transportation for the "clients" from the Ternopil region to the Chernivtsi region, where the transfer of funds and further instructions were to take place.

During the receipt of 26 thousand euros in Chernivtsi, the organizers were detained.

They have been notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and preventive measures have been chosen:

• For the clergyman – detention with the possibility of posting bail of over 1.2 million UAH;

• For his accomplice – detention with the possibility of posting bail of 605,600 UAH.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Chernivtsi District Police Department with operational support from the SBU in the Chernivtsi region.

The aforementioned case is part of a broader problem of the complicity of UOC (MP) clergymen with the aggressor state. Throughout 2025, law enforcement agencies systematically investigated the activities of individuals suspected, accused, or convicted of collaborating with the enemy, treason, facilitating evasion from mobilization, glorification, as well as providing the enemy with information about the movements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Thus, in 2025, 12 individuals were notified of suspicion under various articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. In particular, 9 suspicions related to glorification (Article 436-2 of the CC), 1 – treason (Part 2 of Article 111 of the CC), 1 – obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Article 114-1 of the CC), and 1 – unauthorized dissemination of information about the location or movement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Part 2 of Article 114-2 of the CC).

13 indictments were sent to court, of which 9 related to glorification (Article 436-2 of the CC), 2 – encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine (Article 110 of the CC), 1 – treason (Article 111 of the CC), and 1 – obstruction of the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Article 114-1 of the CC).

As a result of the court proceedings, 7 sentences were issued: 6 for glorification (of which 5 provided for imprisonment with release from serving the sentence based on Article 75 of the CC, and 1 – 3 years of probation supervision) and 1 for aiding the aggressor state (Article 111-2 of the CC), which provided for 11 years of imprisonment.

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.